On Gender Differences In The Use Of English Language

This thesis is aimed at studying gender differences in the use of English language from sociolinguistic perspective.Chapter 1 is the introduction of the whole thesis. The relationship between language and gender and the aim and the arrangement of the thesis are introduced. In Chapter 2, the researches done by sociolinguists concerning gender differences in language are introduced briefly. Then in Chapter 3 I account for the relationship between language and gender by two phases: 1) general gender difference in the use of English language, a kind of difference free of social and cultural factors; 2) distorted gender difference in the use of English language which is caused by social and cultural prejudices. As to general gender differences, I will discuss it in respects of phonology, lexicon, syntax and discourse. With regard to linguistic sexism, ways to avoid sexist language in English language use will be suggested. Next, in Chapter 4, I will make an analysis of causes of gender-differentiated language. At last, I arrive at the conclusion that there exist significant differences between men and women in gender patterns.Exploring the correlations between gender-related linguistic differences and social differences between the genders is an effective way to see how closely language and social variation are related.