Linguistics Research: Language, Gender, and You--Part 2

[UVaLNGS1]

Hey all,

I'm (still) working on a research paper for a linguistics seminar, and I was hoping to get your feedback on a couple of questions.

1. Do you feel that gender is important to your interactions online, either in games, on forums, or elsewhere?

2. Do you think a person's gender is reflected in their language? If so, how, i.e. what are the characteristics or features that show a person's gender?

Please feel free to answer in whatever format you'd like--don't feel bound by the questions. I'd welcome any comments you feel are relevant to the discussion.

Thanks for your help. Feel free to message me if you have any questions or don't want to answer publicly.

 

[Mallefunction]

1. Do you feel that gender is important to your interactions online, either in games, on forums, or elsewhere?

Personally, no. Although other people tend to make a big deal about my gender. I've had a few assholes on PSHome ask me to send pictures of my boobs to 'prove' that I'm a girl. My s/n is purposefully unisex, but I don't try to hide my gender either (hence most customizable avatars for games and stuff will be female outside of a few exceptions where the male design just seems more....tasteful). I don't see the reason to announce my gender (like it makes me any more special than the other millions of girls out there? PAH XD) but I shouldn't have to hide it like it's some big family secret.

Otherwise I've found that there are assholes from both genders online. People tend to be more honest and open about their gender politics so I've met many sexists on both sides of the coin.

2. Do you think a person's gender is reflected in their language? If so, how, i.e. what are the characteristics or features that show a person's gender?

Not really. Sure, there are SOME people who talk like stereotypical men and women "LIEK, OMG!" "Dude, I just nuked some nachos. Fuckin' delicious man", but most people write pretty gender neutral. I've noticed that the ones who do cling to these linguistic traits tend to be younger though (10-15 years). The older a person is, the less likely they seem to be to use this kind of language online or off.

I believe that the younger people do this because they haven't learned what it's truly like to be female or male. They have grown up with these preconceptions based on many sources (music, TV, cartoons, etc) and are testing them out for themselves, testing out the 'traits' associated with their gender. But life experience brings about the idea that, "hey, I don't need to act like a jerk to be a man. I have a penis, that's enough".

Just my two cents anyway...

Hope that helps.