Gender Specific Features of Language : Their Representation in a Popular TV Show

• Main Author: Boström Eriksson, Linda
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Mittuniversitetet 2008
• Subjects: women’s language; feminine style; sitcom; tag-questions; hedges; negative concord; talkativeness; interruptions; indirect style; compliments; minimal responses
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-8557

The aim of this study was to find out how features that have been found to be typical of women’s language, such as hedges, tag questions and a high level of talkativeness etc., are represented in a popular TV series. Five cross-sex conversations from one episode of the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine were analyzed, and the results show that many of the features of interest, as for instance tag questions, minimal responses and indirect style, are unexpectedly used more frequently by men in this small investigation. In fact, the only feature that was used more frequently by the female main character was hedges. Several factors affect the results of the study, as for instance the fact that the conversations are fictional. The special characteristics of the speakers also affect the results, as well as the tone and the topic of the chosen conversations. Many of the features of interest were used to a very small extent, which is probably a result of the fact that the language in a sitcom is to be entertaining and rather quick, which leaves little or no room for the features studied.