Language, the Sexes and Society

Recent research has set out clearly enough how men and women use language in different ways. But this research has frequently failed to identify the social, psychological and linguistic processes that underlie sex differences in language. Philip Smith adopts here a completely fresh approach. In studying the various roles that language, speech and communication play in relations between the sexes, he identifies and illuminates the processes involved– such as stereotyping, social categorization and discrimination.

Editor′s Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Major Influences on Language and Sex Research. 2. The Sociogenesis of Relations between the Sexes. 3. Language and the Representation of Women and Men. 4. Feminine and Masculine Speech. 5. The Measurement of Femininity and Masculinity. 6. Judging Masculine and Feminine Social Identities from Speech: Two Experiments. 7. The Management of Interaction. 8. Language, the Sexes and Social Change. References. Index of Names. Index of Subjects.

Philip M. Smith is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.