Naslov
Gender difference in children’s language

Autori
Marković, Irena

Izvornik
Annales. Anali za istrske in mediteranske studije. Series historia et sociologia (1408-5348) 17 (2007), 1; 197-206

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, pregledni rad, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
language ; gender differences ; innateness ; social environment ; girl’s stereotypes ; boy’s stereotypes ; language styles.

Sažetak
Up to the present day the gender difference in children’s language has been studied by various disciplines. The amount of research done, the differences in methods used, and the contradictory results raise questions about the initial idea - Is there a difference in children’s language based on gender? If there is, how is it demonstrated and what is it? What is the best method of research? Does the gender language variations in childhood, in any way, influence language skills in the adulthood? As the questions are so complex, it is impossible to cover all the areas mentioned above. The only possible way to continue is summarizing the actual research done in this field until today. I presented few theories that have been available over the last fifty years and have given various research models and methods in order to cover this topic. The actual results are not surprising: the differences do exist and the variations are huge. However the amount of gender innateness and the social influence of gender stereotypes create difficulties in measuring separately the difference in language caused by gender. We would therefore need to go back to the original biological and social questions of what makes a male male and what makes a female female. In the same way, all the other individual differences in children are posited under to the same question - Are they part of gender difference or gender difference is only a small part of the whole individual forming his or her personality?

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

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