122049 PS Proseminar Linguistics 2 / Linguistics (2015W)

Exploring the interplay of language and gender requires linking the linguistic to the social, a process marked by high complexity. This course takes an interdisciplinary account of this fast moving and expanding domain of research. In this proseminar, you will learn about the origins of Gender Studies and their contact points to Linguistics. Not only will you be provided with a survey of approaches to the study of language and gender, but you will also be familiarised with basic concepts applied in this field (e.g. the dichotomies of sex and gender, heteronormativity, intersectionality) and their implications on language use. We will analyse and critically challenge commonly held beliefs about the way women and men talk, but also reflect on where the often stated differences derive from and what they imply. As society and language are interdependent, we will also focus on how language itself embodies and mirrors attitudes to gender and sexuality by, for example, focusing on the linguistic manifestations of binary categories or the performativity of linguistic signs. By addressing concrete research issues and results, we will reflect on the research methodology applied in the field, discuss points of critique as well as promising directions which have been taken in the field of studying the multidimensional relationship between language and gender in recent years.