ABSTRACT
This chapter examines language and gender and looks at the social and biological aspects of "gender" and "sex". It then examines the relationship—if any—between grammatical gender and biological gender. The chapter explores some theories about language and gender that have been proposed to explain how and why men and women speak differently. It focuses on gender and language and addresses the distinction that is often made between gender and sex. The chapter shows how language is involved in the creation of identity, gender, and sexual orientation. The topic of language and gender will inevitably involve discussions of ideology and prescriptive linguistics. Some scholars have approached the topic of speech behavior of the genders with the view that women's language reflects men's dominance over them. The chapter ends with a cautionary note, noticing that although language gender differences are exciting topics enthusiastically embraced in the popular media, perhaps these differences are not as pronounced in the ways they are often presented.
