Man Made Language - Dale Spender

[Luke]

Man Made Language, Dale Spender, 1980, Australia, NONFICTION

"In chapters such as "The Lesser Value of Women's Words," "Experience Without a Name," and "The Problem is Power, Not Women," Dale Spender presents the compelling and practical analysis of the androcentric construction of the English language: its social context, vocabulary, syntax, history, and usage. Starting from our understanding that "Language helps form the limits of our reality," she examines the male-oriented assumptions of the science of linguistics, specifically the premise of "female deficiency" predominant in earlier research: "When the starting premise is that women lack the forcefulness and effectiveness of men's language, then hypotheses and explanations are formulated to account for female hesitancy."..."

(J.L., p. 334)