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Extra resources for Gender and the Language of Illness

Sample text

We then explain how these concepts relate to the discourse(s) of gender and illness experience that form the topic of this book, and how we see gender as one of a range of interacting variables that account for language use, or discourse; finally, we will outline the specific corpus and procedures for the analysis that is described in the following chapters and complete the chapter with a brief outline of these. 2 Variationist sociolinguistics An approach in sociolinguistics that is known as ‘variationist’ involves counting a range of linguistic features – typically the pronunciation of pre-selected sounds, or the use of pre-selected grammatical forms – produced by speakers from different social backgrounds.

We will study the way identities are revealed by language use through considering how far interviews about illness experience show evidence of a discourse that conforms with, or resists, gender stereotypes. We have also sought to include as part of an explanation of such variation from language norms reference to social class and age as well as to gender. Conformity with traditional sex roles is revealed by a discourse of elaborate expressiveness in relation to illness by women and lack of such expressiveness by men who are ill; more contemporary discourses are revealed by men who attempt a redefinition of their gender identity by using ‘feminine’ language contributing therefore to a redefinition of what a ‘masculine’ sex role might be like.

EP34SP4, male, 52, epilepsy) The word ‘lads’ leads us to the expression ‘one of the lads’ which implies a sense of belonging to a group. ‘Mate’ is not classified by Wmatrix 38 Gender and the Language of Illness under the concept of People: Male, this is probably because it also implies friendship; however, we included it as a keyword because it implies maleness; and the use of a plural form (as with ‘lads’) is consistent with the view that men talk more about their ‘mates’ rather than a particular ‘mate’; for example: No, they’ve, the, the thing with my mates is that I’ve always told em if, if anything [er] actually happened with this, [um] if it did go for they’d just treat me as normal.

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