The Role of Language and Gender Behaviour in the Family

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics grade: 20 Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Institut für fremdsprachliche Philologien) course: Language and Gender language: English abstract: Parents play an active teaching role that is ...commonplace conscious and directive. For this reason I decided to consider the role of language and gender behaviour in the family. In this paper I demonstrate similarities and differences of language and behaviour of parents towards their children. First I focus on general language and behaviour of parents. Opening I show how they talk to their children regardless which sex they have. Further I look at variations of speech to female and male children. Secondly I concentrate on aspects of fathers language and behaviour towards their children by showing similarities and differences. Third I give attention to mothers. I consider both general speech towards children without regard to their gender and differentiation between male and female children. To conclude I demonstrate how children react to their parents. I consider if they have a gender-typed speech towards their parents.