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This study aims to reinvestigate the characteristics of female language in English.
Dramatic social changes in women for the past few decades have had an influence on women’s language. At this moment, it is necessary to examine the features of women’s language. This study focuses on five categories of female language: adjective, tag question, interrogative sentence, imperative sentence, and standard English grammar,
and addresses how social changes are reflected in female language. Specifically, this study analyzes utterances of women in a movie, The Accidental Husband (Dunne, 2008) and a sitcom, Modern Family (Koch, 2016). The detailed results are as follows:
1) Adjective: There are typical adjectives that women frequently use such as ‘sweet’ and ‘beautiful’; 2) Tag question: Women usually use tag questions when asking for assent and an interlocuter’s attention; 3) Interrogative sentence: When women suggest ideas or offer advice, they tend to do so in a more polite way; 4) Imperative sentence:
Modern women give direct orders or strong commands, but, based on the results of past research, these sentences are different from men’s; 5) Standard English grammar: Women tend to employ formal expressions and standard grammar marked by politeness. |
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