Gender Differences In Feminist Literature From A Sociolinguistic Perspective ——A Case Study Of Gone With The Wind

Since the feminist movement in the 1960 s,women’s rights have been promoted in various aspects,but even in the developed world today,gender differences still exist.Feminists strive to achieve gender equality in economic and political fields,but it cannot be ignored that gender differences rooted in language are harder to change.The unique historical background of the Civil War and the distinctive characteristics of the heroine in the feminist literary work Gone with the Wind makes it unique in exploring the value of gender differences in language use.Therefore,this thesis aims to find out the reasons for the gender differences in language use through the sociolinguistic analysis of Gone with the Wind.Through qualitative and quantitative analysis,this thesis first uses Robin Lakoff’s interpretation of language and gender,as well as gender theory,to prove that men and women are different in vocabulary choice but have no obvious gender difference in syntax choice.The result is different from the previous studies but the author gives relevant explanation.Then,by using Yu Dongming’s quantitative turn-taking analysis model,the language power of Scarlett is analyzed when she talks with other male characters.Research has proved that language power is not only affected by social status and power,but also by the dominant party in gender relationship.And language power changes with different speakers and topics.In the work,Scarlett uses impolite tactics such as interruption,silence and perfunctory to fight for language power with men in conversations.Therefore,it is also proved that language power is not the privilege of a specific gender,and there is no difference in language power in an ideal conversation.Finally,this thesis tries to find out the root of gender differences in language use and gives the author’s opinions by analyzing the social and individual factors that influence gender differences in language use.The author hopes that through the research of this thesis,it can help people better understand the gender differences of language use,deepen people’s understanding of the relationship between language and gender,and communicate better.On the other hand,the author also hopes to convey the feminist ideas in Gone with the Wind and encourages women who are not brave enough to express themselves.