Divorce and Female Language in a Rural Social Network
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/mtp.32344Keywords:
gendered communication, social network analysis, social identity theory, identity construction, divorceAbstract
A long-held notion in linguistics is that females desire to change class status; this desire correlates to gender or female language differences. Much of this work demonstrates the power-saturated gender and sexual orientation social categories intersecting with contexts of politically, socially, educationally, and economically subordinated females. Instead of navigating male and female speech differences, first, identifying motivators of female speech is necessary. A cluster of divorced middle-aged and younger females in a rural North Carolina network participates in significantly different patterns than those of the larger network. This study focuses on these females and their negotiation of community power. Through the application of social identity theory, the cluster members’ use of be is investigated in order to identify motivators of female language behaviours. Females in this community create power through language. Differing post-divorce identity and goals motivate some to use more standard be while others increase use of local forms.
References
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Holmes, J. (1992) An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London: Longman.
Howard, J. (2000) Social psychology of identities. Annual Review of Sociology 26: 367–93.
Hudson, R. A. (1996) Sociolingusitics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139166843
Imig, D. (1983) Urban and rural families: a comparative study of the impact of stress on family interaction. Journal of Research in Rural Education 1(2): 43–46.
Karp, D., Holmstrom, L. and Gray, P. (1998) Leaving home for college: expectations for selective reconstruction of self. Symbolic Interaction 21: 253–65. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.1998.21.3.253
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Labov, W. (1966) The Social Stratification of English in New York City. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Labov, W. (1969) The Study of Nonstandard English. Washington, DC: National Council of the Teachers of English.
Labov, W. (1972) Language in the Inner City: Students in the Black English Vernacular. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
LEARN NC (2011) Mapping a changing North Carolina. Retrieved on 29 August 2016 from www.learnnc.org/lp/mapliner.php?id=nc-recent-census-maps.
Lebowitz, S. (2015) How 2 common speech quirks can destroy your reputation at work. Business Insider (3 August). Retrieved on 10 September 2016 from www.businessinsider.com/upspeak-vocal-fry-hurt-your-reputation-2015-7.
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McLanahan, S. and Sandefur, G. (1994) Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Miller, C. (2014) The motherhood penalty vs. the fatherhood bonus. The New York Times (6 September). Retrieved on 30 August 2016 from www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/upshot/a-child-helps-your-career-if-youre-a-man.html?_r=0.
Milroy, L. and Gordon, M. (2003) Sociolinguistics: Method and Interpretation. Malden, MA: Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470758359
O’Donnell, L. (2015) Dropout rates improve in western Forsyth, Davie: academic year 2012–2013. Winston-Salem Journal (18 March). Retrieved on 10 September 2016 from www.journalnow.com/journal_west/news/dropout-rates-improve-inwestern-forsyth-davie/article_b7b0fd12-cced-11e4-aafc-d3af09c8e8d4.html.
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Tagliamonte, S. and D’Arcy, A. (2004) ‘He’s like, she’s like’: the quotative system in Canadian youth. Journal of Sociolinguistics 8(4): 493–514. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2004.00271.x
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Trudgill, P. (1974) The Social Differentiation of English in Norwich. Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Trudgill, P. (1983) On Dialects: Social and Geographical Perspectives. Oxford: Blackwell.
Trudgill, P. (1998) Sex and covert prestige. In J. Coates (ed.) Language and Gender: A Reader 20–26. Oxford: Blackwell.
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Wardhaugh, R. (2010) An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
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Wolfram, W. (1974) The relationship of white Southern speech to vernacular black English. Language 50: 498–527. https://doi.org/10.2307/412221
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Brouwer, D. and Van Hout, R. (1992) Gender-related variation in Amsterdam vernacular. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 94: 99–122. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl.1992.94.99
Bull, T. (1991) Women and men speaking: the roles played by women and men in the process of language shift. Working Papers on Language, Gender, and Sexism 1: 11–24.
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Cameron, D. (2001) Working with Spoken Discourse. London: Sage Publications.
Cameron, D. (2007) What language barrier? The Guardian (1 October). Retrieved on 30 August 2016 from www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/01/gender.books.
Cheshire, J. (1982) Variation in an English Dialect: A Sociolinguistic Study. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chiodo, A. and Owyang, M. (2003) Marriage, motherhood and money: how do women’s life decisions influence their wages? Retrieved on 29 August 2016 from www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/april-2003/marriage-motherhoodand-money-how-do-womens-life-decisions-influence-their-wages.
Coates, J. (1993) Women, Men and Language: A Sociolinguistic Account of Gender Differences in Language. New York: Longman.
Craver, R. (2016) North Carolina remains in top 5 states for migration within US. Winston-Salem Journal (30 August). Retrieved on 29 August 2016 from www.journalnow.com/business/business_news/local/north-carolina-remains-in-topstates-for-migration-within-u/article_7d2fdd17-5d0a-58c6-95c3-ac25ee9fbbfc.html.
Davie County Schools (2016) DCS facts 2015–2016. Retrieved on 29 August 2016 from www.davie.k12.nc.us/files/2714/6045/9764/2015-2016_DCS_Facts.pdf.
Eckert, P. (1989) Jocks and Burnouts: Social Categories and Identity in the High School. New York: Teachers College Press.
Eckert, P. and McConnell-Ginet, S. (2003) Language and Gender. New York: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511791147
Ervin-Tripp, S., O’Conner, M. and Rosenberg, J. (1984) Language and power in the family. In C. Kramarae, M. Schultz and W. O’Barr (eds) Language and Power 116–35. New York: Sage.
Fasold, R. (1990) The Sociolinguistics of Language. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
Feagin, C. (1979). Variation and Change in Alabama English: A Sociolinguistic Study of the White Community. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Fresh Air (2015) From upspeak to vocal fry: are we ‘policing’ young women’s voices? Radio broadcast, Fresh Air (23 July). Transcript retrieved from www.npr.org/2015/07/23/425608745/from-upspeak-to-vocal-fry-are-we-policingyoung-womens-voices.
Friedman, V. (2016) The bedazzling of the American gymnast. The New York Times (3 August). Retrieved on 5 September 2016 from www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/fashion/olympic-gymnastics-simone-biles-leotards-crystals.html.
Garber, M. (2016) Their bodies, ourselves. The Atlantic (8 August). Retrieved on 10 September 2016 from www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/their-bodies-ourselves/494951.
Geertz, H. ([1961]1989) The Javanese Family: A Study of Kinship and Socialization. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Helson, R., Stewart, A. J. and Ostrove, J. (1995) Identity in three cohorts of midlife women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 69: 544–57. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.3.544
Holmes, J. (1992) An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London: Longman.
Howard, J. (2000) Social psychology of identities. Annual Review of Sociology 26: 367–93.
Hudson, R. A. (1996) Sociolingusitics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139166843
Imig, D. (1983) Urban and rural families: a comparative study of the impact of stress on family interaction. Journal of Research in Rural Education 1(2): 43–46.
Karp, D., Holmstrom, L. and Gray, P. (1998) Leaving home for college: expectations for selective reconstruction of self. Symbolic Interaction 21: 253–65. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.1998.21.3.253
Konya, K. (2014) Exploring identity processes in the work setting of a developing country through the lenses of social identity and post-colonialism. PhD thesis, Brunel University.
Labov, W. (1966) The Social Stratification of English in New York City. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Labov, W. (1969) The Study of Nonstandard English. Washington, DC: National Council of the Teachers of English.
Labov, W. (1972) Language in the Inner City: Students in the Black English Vernacular. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
LEARN NC (2011) Mapping a changing North Carolina. Retrieved on 29 August 2016 from www.learnnc.org/lp/mapliner.php?id=nc-recent-census-maps.
Lebowitz, S. (2015) How 2 common speech quirks can destroy your reputation at work. Business Insider (3 August). Retrieved on 10 September 2016 from www.businessinsider.com/upspeak-vocal-fry-hurt-your-reputation-2015-7.
Leondar-Wright, B. (2016) Working definitions. Retrieved on 5 September 2016 from www.classmatters.org/working_definitions2.php.
McLanahan, S. and Sandefur, G. (1994) Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Miller, C. (2014) The motherhood penalty vs. the fatherhood bonus. The New York Times (6 September). Retrieved on 30 August 2016 from www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/upshot/a-child-helps-your-career-if-youre-a-man.html?_r=0.
Milroy, L. and Gordon, M. (2003) Sociolinguistics: Method and Interpretation. Malden, MA: Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470758359
O’Donnell, L. (2015) Dropout rates improve in western Forsyth, Davie: academic year 2012–2013. Winston-Salem Journal (18 March). Retrieved on 10 September 2016 from www.journalnow.com/journal_west/news/dropout-rates-improve-inwestern-forsyth-davie/article_b7b0fd12-cced-11e4-aafc-d3af09c8e8d4.html.
Pruchno, R. and McKenney, D. (2002) Psychological well-being of black and white grandmothers raising grandchildren: examination of a two-factor model. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 57(5): 444–52. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/57.5.P444
Public Schools of North Carolina (1999) A report card for the ABCs of public education, volume II: academic year 1998–1999. Retrieved on 10 September 2016 from www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/accountability/reporting/reportcard/1999/pdf/300.pdf
Romaine, S. (2003) Variation in language and gender. In J. Holmes and M. Meyerhoff (eds) The Handbook of Language and Gender 98–118. Malden, MA: Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470756942.ch4
Smart, C. and Neale, B. (1999) Family Fragments? Cambridge: Polity Press.
Tagliamonte, S. and D’Arcy, A. (2004) ‘He’s like, she’s like’: the quotative system in Canadian youth. Journal of Sociolinguistics 8(4): 493–514. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2004.00271.x
Tajfel, H. (1978) The achievement of group differentiation. In H. Tajfel (ed.) Differentiation between Groups: Studies in the Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations 77–98. London: Academic Press.
Tajfel, H. and Turner, J. (1979) An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. Austin and S. Worchel (eds) The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations 33–47. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Tannen, D. (1993) Marked women, unmarked men. The New Yorker Magazine (20 June). Retrieved on 30 August 2016 from www2.bakersfieldcollege.edu/driess/Readings_files/Marked%20Women.pdf.
Tannen, D. (2001) Power maneuvers or connection maneuvers? Ventriloquizing in family interaction. Retrieved on 15 August 2016 from https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/551458/gurt2001.pdf?sequence=1.
Tannen, D. (2006) Language and culture. In R. W. Fasold and J. Connor-Linton (eds) An Introduction to Language and Linguistics 343–72. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tavernise, S. and Gebeloff, R. (2011) Once rare in rural America, divorce is changing the face of its families. The New York Times (23 March). Retrieved on 9 November 2012 from www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/us/24divorce.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
Trudgill, P. (1972) Sex, covert prestige and linguistic change in the urban British English of Norwich. Language in Society 1(2): 179–95. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500000488
Trudgill, P. (1974) The Social Differentiation of English in Norwich. Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Trudgill, P. (1983) On Dialects: Social and Geographical Perspectives. Oxford: Blackwell.
Trudgill, P. (1998) Sex and covert prestige. In J. Coates (ed.) Language and Gender: A Reader 20–26. Oxford: Blackwell.
Turner, V. (1969) Liminality and communitas: form and attributes of rites of passage. Retrieved on 5 September 2016 from http://faculty.dwc.edu/wellman/Turner.htm.
Wardaugh, R. (1993) Investigating Language: Central Problems in Linguistics. New York: John Wiley.
Wardhaugh, R. (2010) An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Wareing, S. (2001) Language and gender. In L. Thomas and S. Wareing (eds) Language, Society and Power: An Introduction 65–81. New York: Routledge.
Welsh, K. (2010). Davie County residents continue to say ‘no’ to new high school. Carolina Journal (15 July). Retrieved on 17 September 2016 from www.carolinajournal.com/news-article/davie-county-residents-continue-to-say-no-to-new-high-school.
Wolf, N. (2015) Young women, give up the vocal fry and reclaim your strong female voice. The Guardian (24 July). Retrieved on 17 September 2016 from www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/24/vocal-fry-strong-female-voice.
Wolfram, W. (1974) The relationship of white Southern speech to vernacular black English. Language 50: 498–527. https://doi.org/10.2307/412221
Published
2017-01-16
Issue
Section
Research Articles
How to Cite
Clements, G. (2017). Divorce and Female Language in a Rural Social Network. Mediation Theory and Practice, 1(2), 181-210. https://doi.org/10.1558/mtp.32344
