What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice

When Ms Appleby’s four year old niece came home from nursery and claimed ‘I’m knackered’ her response was as follows:

‘That’s not a nice word to use. That’s a rough boy word’

What implications about language and language use does my response raise? Write your idea on post it note and put on board.

So there are words for girls and words for boys?

• Look at the transcripts from television adverts aimed at boy and girls

• What language features seem typically male or typically female? Say a lot about a little here

• Which of the Lakoff’s 10 features of a women’s language can you identify here?

Lakoff proposed (Language and Woman's Place 1975) that women's speech can be distinguished from that of men in a number of ways, including:

• Special lexicon- Lakoff states that such words are trivial and evidence of the fact that women have been allowed control over unimportant things e.g. purple of blue women would say ‘lilac’ or ‘violet’

• Empty adjectives approval- Lakoff claims that if a man uses these terms he appears more feminine as it damages his masculine prestige e.g. ‘divine, lovely, adorable, delightful and sweetie’

• Hedging- uncertainty and lack of authority e.g. ‘sort of’ • Super polite forms – ‘If you don’t mine please may you..’ • Hypercorrect grammar and pronunciation- e.g. women avoid ‘ain’t’ or double negatives • Tag questions – show that women want approval from their utterances e.g. ‘I’m coming with you, all right?’ • Speaking in italics – women use exaggerated intonation or stress for emphasis, expresses uncertainty e.g. ‘I am

very frustrated with you’  • Use of implication- Lakoff claimed women use this because they do not feel the authority to give orders e.g. ‘it’s

cold in here, isn’t it’ instead of ‘shut the window’ • Question intonations in declarative statements- women raise the pitch of their voice at the end of statements

expressing uncertainty e.g. ‘Dinner’s in half an hour?’ • Avoid coarse language and expletives

Focus of today’s lesson

• To explore the notion of a woman’s language, with a focus on a special lexicon and empty adjectives and whether times have changed

• To speculate what a ‘man’s language’ might be

• To create advertising material aimed at different genders influenced by the findings of Lakoff and Mulac

Have times changed?

• Lakoff’s research was published in 1975, so is it still applicable today?

Make-up Bag & Organic Pamper Kit for Hands (order no 179w)

This gorgeous pink silk make-up bag comes with a wonderful organic pamper kit for hands. Inside is a luxurious organic hand & nail cream with a gentle organic hand soap. The zip fastening silk make-up bag is lined with grey satin with ample room for make up and brushes. The moisturising hand & nail cream (50ml) softens hands and strengthens nails. It contains aloe vera, coconut oil and beeswax, scented with organic rose, sandalwood and peppermint oils. The ribbon-tied, tissue wrapped hand soap (50g) is also organic and scented with uplifting jasmine and geranium oils. The make-up bag measures 22cm by 7cm. 

• Each group has been given an advertisement from www.giftinspiration.com (2007), what 5 observations about language (specifically woman’s language )can you make? Consider:

• semantic fields, • choice of adjectives, • special lexicon

• On the basis of your study would you agree with Lakoff that there is a woman’s language which includes a special lexicon and empty adjectives?

• Be prepared to explain your point of view

3 minutes reflection time…

Take 3 minutes to respond to what has been presented to you so far

• What observations do you want to record?

• Any facts you want to remember?

So what would a man’s language be?

• On the basis of Lakoff’s research and the example from Gifts For Men taken from www.giftinspiration.com if I asked you to speculate on what features might define a man’s language, what would they be?

Leather Wash Bag by Smith & Canova (order no 236m)

This luxurious leather wash bag is designed to hold a man's toiletries and shaving gear in style. In black or tan Italian leather, saddle stitched and really well made to hold lots of grooming essentials in four roomy, zipped compartments. Smith & Canova have made this wash bag with excellent attention to detail, including leather fobs on the external zips, an uncrushable design and a sturdy leather carrying handle. It is 25cm long (excluding the handle), 11cm wide and 15cm tall. Please choose black or tan leather from the list below 

Line up in alphabetical order

Share your observations with your partner about features of a man’s language

Mulac et al 2001

• Higher use of directives• Use of elliptical sentences (a more

succinct style)• Shorter mean length utterances• Use of ‘I’ more• References to quantity and size

Men’s language is ‘direct, succinct, personal and instrumental’ – They get things done!

Who can add any more features?

3 minutes reflection time…

Take 3 minutes to respond to what has been presented to you so far

• What observations do you want to record?

• Any facts you want to remember?

• What words would you suggest are specifically male?

Creating text for your product

You are now working individually.

Write the text to accompany your product. Remember to think about which gender your gift is aimed at and ensure that your language reflect the features on men’s / women’s language that we have looked at today.

In your group of 3

• Pass your text onto another student in your group.

• Use this new text to respond to this exam type question:

Write about some of the ways this text represents gender

As you leave

• Let me know one of your observations from today’s lesson

Leather Jewellery Roll (order no 353w)

This is a fantastic gift for women who only want the best in life. Handmade in soft leather and embossed with the word Jewels, it has well designed black velvet interior pockets. There are four zipped pouches, including a long one just for necklaces, plus separate holders for rings and earrings to ensure this jewellery roll will carry and protect necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings. Open, it measures 36cm x 19cm, and 11cm x 19cm when closed. The jewellery roll fastens with an adjustable strap and press stud and is available in pink, turquoise, jet and ruby. 

Relaxing Lavender Bath Gift Box (order no 107w)

This fabulous collection of relaxing lavender bath treats smells gorgeous and makes a wonderfully pampering gift. The bath soak, hand & body cream, soap and large flannel are presented in a smart gift box, tied with lavender ribbon.The inspired blend of lavender, tiger lily, Moroccan olive leaf, cedar and cypress oils creates a soothing, fresh and sensuous fragrance. Only the finest ingredients are used, including botanical extracts of olive oil, argan oil and aloe vera to nourish, revitalise and protect the skin, while relaxing the senses. Made in England, the gift set contains 300ml bath soak, 100ml hand & body cream, 100g soap and 32cm square cotton flannel in a gift box measuring 19cm x 16cm x 7cm. 

The Great Big Garden Hamper (order no 895w)

This inspired hamper for gardeners combines fabulous things for gardening with delicious tea time treats to enjoy after a few hours in the garden. The Great Big Garden Hamper contains five robust hand tools with comfortable wooden handles, a pair of gardening gloves, a useful portable organiser for tools and seeds. We include 7 seed varieties (basil, chives, parsley, thyme, sweet williams, wildflower mix and butterfly flower). To care for hardworking hands, they'll find the walnut hand scrub (500ml) to be just the thing to clean even the most stubborn dirt and soil; a lovely marigold liquid soap (150ml), natural bristle nail brush and a cucumber & bergamot soothing handcream (150ml). They'll love our indulgent goodies: a 100g pot of afternoon tea, with strainer; a 160g box of hand baked chocolate chunk shortbread biscuits, a moreish chocolate cake (150g) laced with Grand Marnier and handmade butter fudge (227g). All of these wonderful presents are beautifully presented in a large wooden crate which is perfect for garden storage (50x32x21cm). 

Leather Bag for Make Up & Brushes (order no 136)

this pretty pale lilac bag is perfect for holding make up brushes and is also useful for keeping make up in a handbag. We love the three pink, purple and blue facted baubles on the zip fastener which make this bag a must have! Designed by Smith & Canova and made from soft Italian leather, it measures 19cm long, 6cm wide, lined with satin. Make up not included 

Semi-precious Stones Necklace (order no 19w)

Gorgeous and natural, these hand-strung necklaces look stunning. The Aquamarine & Turquoise necklace also has tumbled stone clusters of peridot and quartz with cabouchon cut lapis lazuli. The Rose Quartz & Garnet necklace also has clusters of peridot, carnelian and shell. Each necklace is 39cm long and comes with an organza draw-string bag. 

Organic & Gorgeous Scented Candle Gift Box (order no 119w)

This fabulous jasmine & geranium scented candle will fill bedroom, bathroom or boudoir with a delightful relaxing, floral fragrance. The glass votive contains a long lasting natural wax candle, scented with organic oil of geranium and organic jasmine oil. Made in England, this pretty candle gift box is a lovely gift for any occasion. Presented in a glorious pink and silver gift box, tied with pretty ribbon. Candle 90g, average burn time 25 hours. 

French Hot Chocolate Pot Gift Set (order no 288w)

This chic French ceramic Hot Chocolate Pot is the perfect way to make delicious 'chocolat chaud'. The traditional French design has a wooden whisk in the lid and a wooden handle for pouring. You simply put spoonfuls of drinking chocolate in the pot, add hot milk and then use the wooden whisk inside the lid to create a smooth and comforting hot chocolate. We include a 200g box of Belgian Chocolate Powder by Guylian, made from the finest cocoa beans for an intense, creamy and smooth Hot Chocolate taste. Makes the best hot chocolate we've ever tasted! Chocolate Pot 22cm tall, 12cm wide (plus handles). 

Organic & Gorgeous Pampering Gift Box (order no 393w)

These gorgeous organic toiletries make a truly pampering gift, presented in exquisite silk packaging and made entirely from environmentally friendly materials. The lotions, soaps and balms have been created using the finest fragrant fruit and flower oils with a lovely, soothing scent of Jasmine & Geranium with Manuka honey. Each collection includes a 250ml organic bath oil, 250ml organic body lotion, a beautiful handmade organic soap (120g) and a large scented candle votive (7cm dia, 8cm deep). Handmade in England they are carefully packed in tissue paper, inside a beautiful handmade silk box (size 18.5cm x 18.5cm x 8.5cm deep).  

Belgian Chocolate Hearts (order no 111wo)

This spectacular heart shaped box contains a selection of individually foil wrapped chocolate hearts, tied with an organza ribbon. Made from the finest Belgian chocolate with delicious assorted fillings including caramel. praline and chocolate truffle, the Heart Box is a wonderful gift to mark a special occasion, or just because...Presented in an acetate box, (18cm x 16cm x 3cm) average contents 17 chocolates, 215g. 

Organic & Gorgeous Weekender Gift Box

(order no 363w) These gorgeus organic toiletries make a truly pampering treat and the soothing scent of Jasmine & Geranium with Manuka honey smells divine. The Weekender Gift Box includes a 50ml organic bath oil, a fabulous handmade organic soap (120g) and a scented candle votive (5.5cm dia, 7cm deep). Handmade in England, they are beautifully presented, packed in tissue paper, inside a beautiful silk box, handmade using environmentally friendly materials (size 16.5cm x 9.5cm x 6cm deep).  

Lilac Handblown Glass Scent Ball (order no 456w)

this beautiful decorative glass ball is handblown using lilac, lavender and blue coloured glass. The clever design holds fragrance oil (supplied) which lightly scents a room when the ball is suspended from its ribbon in a window and warmed by sunlight. Each one is unique and comes in a presentation box with a fragrance oil and a brief history about the long tradition of using glass balls like these to protect a home from bad luck. Handmade in Scotland for Gift Inspiration by a master glassblower. Size approx 19cm high, 14cm dia. 

Bear Bearing Chocolates (order no 67w)

This cuddly Bear is bearing a big box of delicious milk, dark and white Belgian chocolates by Gudrun. The double layer ballotin box is beautifully presented in gold foil wrap with a smart blue ribbon. Bartlesham Bear by Jellycat has wonderfully soft golden fur, bean filled paws and a friendly face. Bear 27cm tall. Chocolates 300g, average contents 24. 

Golf or Fishing Hobby in a Box! (order no 843m)

Especially for all those desk-bound Golfers and Fishermen out there! The Golf Kit includes a miniature golfing green, complete with bunker and sand, 18th hole flag, metal chipper and putter, miniature golf balls and even a tiny rake for good golf etiquette. The Fishing kit contains a miniature wooden boat, fishing line, 'water' and even two fish to hook. Please choose Golf or Fishing from the drop down list. Box size 10.5cm square, 3.5cm deep. 

Brandy Glass Warmer, Brandy Glass & Martell Cognac (order no 552m)

this is a great gift for a man who enjoys his cognac served at just the right temperature. The elegant metal stand incorporates a glass burner which takes a standard tealight (included), designed to gently warm the brandy. Comes complete with a classic balloon brandy glass and we also include a 3cl miniature bottle of Martell VS Fine Cognac. Stand 10.5cm

dia by 12.5cm high. 

Aspirin Cufflinks (order no 883m)

These special cufflinks are crafted from steel in the shape of an Aspirin and each one unscrews to reveal a 'secret' compartment designed to take an Aspirin (or his pill of choice). Very well made by Simon Carter London, these cufflinks come in a smart presentation box. Each cufflink is 15mm dia. 

Mini Texas Hold 'Em Poker Game (order no 099m)

Whether you're sending this to a poker ace who wins hands down, or to someone who wants to learn, this Mini Texas Hold 'Em has everything they need. Inside the box, there is a green poker mat, a deck of cards, coloured chips with chip holder, dealer button, little blind and big blind buttons. The useful rule book gives full instructions, a rank of winning poker hands and useful Texas Hold 'Em phrases! This miniature boxed set is great fun for someone's desk at work and for taking on holiday.The box measures 10.5 cm square, 3.5cm deep. 

Leather Driving Licence Wallet (order no 355m)

this black leather driving licence wallet is a stylish answer to the problem of how best to protect and carry the new two part UK photo driving licence. The paper licence fits neatly into the main pocket and the photo card has its own smaller pocket. Size 22cm x 11.5cm, folding to 11cm x 11.5cm with a press stud fastner.  

Leather Golf Ball Holder, Golf Balls & Tees (order no 247m)

This is a really useful gift for anyone who enjoys a round of golf. The black leather pouch carries three golf balls (included) and also comes with four stainless steel golf tees. It has a keyring fastening to clip onto a belt or golf caddy. Pouch size 10x10cm. 

The Beer Game (order no 835m)

a party game for 2 to 8 thirsty players who get to drink beer, enjoy jokes, tricks, tongue twisters, forfeits, fun and drink more beer! Includes board (size 48.5cm x 33.5cm), dice, playing pieces, game and forfeit cards and instructions. Just add beer and friends for a night you'll never remember!