1. DEFICIT APPROACH
Deficit Model is often linked to the linguist Robin Lakoff and her influential work ‘Language and
Women’s Place‘. In this study, Lakoff identified several differences in the way women used
language when compared to men, which are summarised here.
Lakoff suggested that these differences she noticed were part of ‘Women’s Language’ and was
general seen as inferior to men. The ‘Deficit Model’ refers to how this language use contributes to
women’s lower status and weaker position in society.
Another important study to consider was completed by O’Barr-and Atkins in 1980. In their
courtroom study, they tested Lakoff’s hypothesis that features of ‘Women’s Language’ would be
used more frequently by women. Their conclusions, however, suggested that these features were
more closely linked to power, social status and social class. This led to them suggesting that
‘Powerless Language’ would be a more accurate definition of the features Lakoff identified.
According to them, men would also often use these features and it was social status, not gender,
which determined their use.
The deficit approach aims to prove that there are differences in the way men and women use
language. It argues that the language that men use is the standard and, therefore, superior. On
the other hand, the language that women use is viewed as insufficient as it differs from the norm
and is therefore inferior.
the Two S's and Two 2 I's:
Men = standard and superior
Women = insufficient and inferior
the approach demonstrates how men's and women's language can be differentiated by their
levels of deficiency, as some linguists have identified women's language as 'lacking' in
multiple ways.
However, critics of the deficit approach can tell us that there may be problems with the
ways the deficit approach views women – the approach suggests inequality between
genders as women's language is seen as deficient to men's. They also highlight that the
power imbalance in society may not be due to the language used solely by women but due
to language used by both men and women in vulnerable positions.
Otto Jespersen: deficit theory
Otto Jespersen was a Danish linguist who focused on the study of grammar in the English
language. Jespersen believed that men's language was seen as the standard and normal, whereas
women's language was deficient.
2. In his book Language: Its Nature, Development and Origin (1922), Jespersen explored the
differences between the use of language by men and women. Particularly, in a chapter
titled Women, Jespersen explored the language used by women. Below are some of his findings:
According to Jespersen, women:
Talk a lot.
Use simpler words as they have smaller vocabularies.
Use more false starts and unfinished sentences because they speak before they think.
Exaggerate more.
Use too many adjectives and adverbs.
Are emotional, not grammatical.
Are more indirect and, therefore, less effective than men.
Jespersen also described the language used by women as the:
Indispensable small change of language . . .
This suggests that, although the language women use is necessary to the development of
communication, its influence is not as extensive or desirable as the language men use.
So, what did Jespersen say about men's language?
According to Jespersen, men:
Have a larger vocabulary and use more difficult words.
Are in charge of establishing new words in the English language.
This suggests that the language that men use is more impressive and more significant than the language
used by women.
Jespersen then stated:
there is a danger of the language becoming languid and insipid if we (men) are to content
ourselves with women's expressions.
In simpler terms, he believed that if men were to speak in the way that women did, or if they
continued letting women speak in such a way, the language would become weaker and
uninteresting.
Otto's findings are over 100 years old. Do you think they are still relevant in today's society?
Robin Lakoff: deficit theory
Robin Lakoff is an American linguist who teaches Linguistics at the University of California. In her
book, Language and Women's Place (1975), Lakoff explores the language used by women. She argues
that the features of language used by women are 'weaker' and more uncertain than the language used
by men. She refers to this weaker form of language as 'women's language.'
So why is women's language seen as weaker?
3. Lakoff believes that the differences in language between men and women reflect their social
status and the amount of power they have in society. As a result, she believes that the language
that women use is weaker because it reflects their lower social status and lack of power in
society.
Lakoff also argues that the powerlessness of women is not only reflected in how they speak but
also in how men speak about women. This is because when women are spoken about by men,
they are often objectified and seen as reliant on men. This highlights the unfair treatment of
women by men in society.
Below are some of Lakoff's findings regarding women's language:
Women use more: Examples:
Backchannelling 'Uh-huh', 'Mm', 'Yeah'
Hedging 'Sort of', 'Kind of'
Intensifiers 'Very', 'So', 'Really'
Apologies 'I'm sorry, but…'
Tag questions
'You live here, right?'
'You sing, don't you?'
Modal verbs 'Could', 'Should', 'Ought to'
Empty (meaningless) adjectives 'Gorgeous', 'Adorable', 'Lovely'
Wh- Imperatives 'Why don't we…'
Indirect commands 'It's cold in here' indirectly means 'close the window'
Diminutives (pet names) 'Honey', 'Sweetie', 'Darling'
Euphemisms 'Passed away' instead of 'Died'
Direct quotes (instead of paraphrasing)
Polite forms 'Would you mind if…'
'Italics' (change in stress)
'This is so great'
'I am very tired'
4. Women may use these things more than men, but they use less:
Slang
Swear words
Insults
This implies that women tend to use more formal language, are more polite, and are less aggressive
than men.
Lakoff also observed that women don't have a good sense of humour and are bad at telling jokes...
Deficit Approach - Key Takeaways
The deficit approach focuses on what an individual is lacking as opposed to wider societal
issues.
In the English language, the deficit approach focuses on men's language as the standard
and women's language as insufficient as it differs from the norm.
Otto Jespersen and Robin Lakoff are supporters of the deficit approach.
William O'Barr and Bowman Atkins oppose the deficit approach. They support
the diversity approach instead, which suggests that the amount of power someone has in
society is not dependent on their gender.
