Introduction to topic of language and gender. Year 12

1. STARTER: Grammar revision: For each of the blanks below,
fill in the missing word, then decide which word class it fits
into: noun, verb, adjective, adverb or pronoun
Next week, as part of our Careers programme, a number of
specialist professionals will be ______ the college. An
engineer will talk about careers in the mechanical and
electrical engineering industries. ____ will meet any
interested students in room 12.
A nurse will also be available to discuss career routes into
Nursing, and ____ will be in room 20. Meanwhile, Dr Hibbert,
from the Cambridge Road Medical Practice, will speak to
potential medical _______ in room 14, where ____ will also
show a video entitled ‘Careers in Medicine’

2. A father and son were involved in a car
accident and both were taken to hospital.
The father died immediately on arrival, but
the son survived, so he was taken to the
operating theatre for an emergency
operation. The surgeon said: "I can't
operate on this boy because he's my son".
How can you explain this fact?

3. Language and Gender
Paper Two: Language Varieties

4. What we will do in this unit:
• Consider a brief history of gender
inequality
• Consider how language encompasses gender
inequality
• Learn the theories of some linguists and
both apply and criticise them with regards
to texts
• Conduct your own mini investigation
• Write up your ideas into articles
• Analyse data tables

5. Choice of two questions
Spend 40 minutes on it.

6. A brief history of gender
inequality…
• True or false?

7. A brief history of gender inequality…
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0
0wfrgf

8. And now?

9. Sex and gender
• What’s the difference?
• Sex refers to the biological and
physiological characteristics, while
gender refers to behaviours, roles,
expectations, and activities in society.
Sex refers to male or female,
while gender refers to masculine or
feminine. The differences in the sexes do
not vary throughout the world,
but differences in gender do.

10. Sex =
chromsome
s and
reproductiv
e organs.
Do not vary
across
cultures
and time
(Language
can be
affected by
this –
average male
and female
voice pitch)
Gender =
social roles
and
identities –

11. Sex and gender
• What if these don’t match?
Last year ‘transgender’ increased in usage by 100% (being the
second most increased-usage word of 2015).
“…following the increased exposure of transgender public
figures such as Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox, and the
presence of trans actors and characters in programmes
including Orange Is the New Black, Boy Meets Girland, soon,
EastEnders. Words such as “cisgender”, “misgender” and
“Mx” have also been added to Collinsdictionary.com.”
… showing that the issue of gender, and transgender is
increasing in importance amongst our contemporary society.

13. Sex and gender
• Key learning points from today?
• What was your learning objective?
• Homework…