Rewriting

1. Provide two examples of linguistic differences between men and women’s speech, as discussed by Talbot, and two examples of behavioral differences between men and women’s speech as discussed by Johnson and Tannen. Explain why some of these differences may be better described as power differences, rather than differences based solely on gender.
It is interesting to note the differences between men and women’s speech. According to Talbot (p. 508), the Japanese community has different pronouns for some linguistic terms that primarily depend on gender. Talbot gives an example of atashi and boku in the Japanese language. Women use the first one while men use the second one to mean the same thing “ I.” Although the people who speak Japanese language can tell the difference, other people may claim that the two terms have different meanings. The same case applies to other societies such as the Carib Indians.
According to Johnson and Tannen, behavioral differences across genders affect speech presentation. Men and women have different roles in the families and in the society too. Therefore, women have a tendency of talking about family and social issues as opposed to men, who tend to spend more time talking about politics and work related issues. These differences, according to Johnson and Tennen (p. 53), come out as power differences. Men are considered superior to women since they are involved and often discuss more important issues concerning work and society. Women on the other hand, are considered less powerful since they discuss family and personal issues. Men take the center stage in the conversation. They seem to initiate and control the discourse of any conversation. Women will join in the conversation when they are allowed or when it is necessary to do so. These differences in conversations are seen as power differences.
2. Provide several examples of politically-correct (or bias-free) language as discussed by Kakutani and of doublespeak as discussed by Lutz. Discuss some of the motivations in each case for why such changes in language have been proposed/ used. What are some of the ways in which politically correct language and doublespeak are different and some of the ways in which they are similar?
With the increasing need for observing gender and political sensitivity, choice of words becomes necessary. According to Kakutani, there exists politically correct language that is used to avoid political bias. Some of the most common bias words include master, fellow, king, lord among others (p. 517). Although these words represents social position that can be occupied by an gender, they are male oriented. Some of these words can be substituted with unbiased words such as monarch. In a family setting, gender biased words such as battered spouse can be substituted with battered wife in order to remove gender bias. This is seen in everyday social settings. For example, politicians are required to be careful with their language to avoid racially sensitive words such as nigger.
On the other hand, doublespeak entails selective use of language to avoid use of very strong language. By using doublespeak, the speakers are able to convey their message without mentioning the specific words. According to Lutz (p. 152), grain-consuming animals, organoleptic, and economically non-affluent are some of the examples doublespeak. Doublespeak is common with politicians, who present argument about an issue without putting themselves in a compromising situation.
Politically correct and double speak are quite similar but also different in some ways. Both techniques seek to substitute certain words for more appealing words. While politically correct words seek to avoid bias, doublespeak seeks to free the speaker from blame of taking sides in communication. While politically correct words aim at replacing politically biased words with unbiased words, doublespeak makes conversation more general. Doublespeak aims at conveying information without tackling the issue with direct words.