Gender and Language

In "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution," Judith Butler states that gender imitative. Gender is not inherent but it is learned. According to Butler gender is a model that "requires a conception of a constituted social temporality" (901). Gender is constructed though repeated actions and it is impossible for the actions to always be identical. Therefore gender is not concrete or universally the same.

Using Dr. Elinor Ochs' study of language in Madagascar we can see that this is true. In the United States, most would observe that men are typically the gender to exhibit open anger and are more direct in their speech. While American Woman are less direct in their speech. Dr. Ochs observed in Madagascar the opposite of American norms. In Madagascar it is more widely observed and expected that a woman would exhibit open anger and use more direct language. While for the mean this would be out of character. Dr. Ochs' findings support Butler's assertions about gender.

Works Cited

Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution." Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Literary Theory: an Anthology. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. 900-11. Print.

McClave, Evelyn. "Gender Variations in Language." California State University Northridge, Northridge. 27 Apr. 2010. Lecture.