sequence, key, instrumentalities, norms, and genre Hymes, 1974:53-62. His theory used in determining the context of speech situation supporting the second
theory
– function of women’s linguistic features.
2.3.1 Types of women’s linguistic features
Robin Lakoff in her book Language and Woman Place 1973 divided several linguistic features which differentiated women language from men
language. There are two main types of the features; lexical features and syntactical features.
2.3.1.1 Lexical Features
In general, the terms lexical has strong relation to items of vocabulary in Language. Lakoff divided linguistic features of women language into two main
parts – lexical features and syntactical features. Lexical features focuses on the
lexical items used in an utterance. 1.
Color terms Lakoff stated that women make far more precise discriminations in
naming colors than men do; words like beige, ecru, aquamarine, lavender, and so on are unremarkable in a womens active vocabulary, but absent from that of most
men 1973:49. Lakoff has seen man helpless with suppressed laughter at a discussion between two other people as to whether a book-jacket was to be
described as lavender or mauve. She claimed that men find such discussion amusing because they consider such a question trivial, irrelevant to the real world.
For example, women may say “the wall is mauve” with no one consequently
forming any special impression of her as a result of the words alone; but if the man says it, one might well conclude he was either imitating a woman
sarcastically, or a homosexual, or an interior decorator 1973: 49 2.
Particles Lakoff in her article experimented on the use of ‘meaningless’ particles by
both woman and men. She claimed that the ‘stronger’ expletives are reserved for men and the ‘weaker’ ones for women as she illustrated in the following example:
a Oh dear, you’ve put the peanut butter in the refrigerator again.
b Shit, you’ve put the peanut butter in the refrigerator again.
Lakoff stated that it can be classified that the first sentence as part of women language while the second as men language. She explained that the
difference between using ‘shit’ or damn, or one of many others as opposed to ‘oh dear’, or ‘goodness’, or ‘oh fudge’ lies in how forcefully one says how one
feel 1973:50. 3.
Evaluative adjective There are also adjectives that besides their specific and literal meaning
used to indicate the speaker’s approbation or admiration for something. Lakoff mention that some of these adjectives are neutral as to sex of speaker: either men
or women may use them. But another set seems, in its figurative use, to be largely confined to women’s speech 1973:51. For example:
Neutral Women only
great adorable
terrific charming
cool sweet
neat lovely
divine Example:
a: What a sweet and charming young men you are.
2.3.1.2 Syntactical Features
