ABSTRACT
An ever-growing area within sociolinguistic research is the study of workplace discourse, often with a focus on “gendered” occupations. However, there is limited research on the linguistic behaviour of men who work in “women’s” occupations. This chapter investigates the discourse of male nurses. Results indicate that they use language to bond with their female colleagues. Additionally, findings illustrate common patterns in the way that all the nurses interact, which promotes the hypothesis that they are a community of practice; that the nurses’ language fulfils discourse tasks essential to the work role. In short, the men are “doing” being a nurse.
