Integrating Gender-Related Variation into the Foreign Language Classroom using the Example of the Vocal Fry Register
Contents
Abbreviations
EA Einzelarbeit
LSG Lehrer-Schüler-Gespräch
LV Lehrervortrag
OHP Overhead Projektor
PA Partnerarbeit
TB Tafelbild
Introduction
The English language is characterized by many different regional and social varieties. Differences in language use between speakers of the same language are usually due to factors such as geographical location, ethnic background, social class, age and gender. Students may encounter different varieties of English, when they travel to English-speaking countries. This term paper tries to develop an English lesson which deals with gender-related variation, using the example of the vocal fry register.
After a short overview about previous research, and a short analysis about the vocal fry register, this term paper will rather concentrate on didactical than linguistic analysis, as it would otherwise be beyond the scope.
Nonetheless, it is important to start withLinguist Wardhaugh (2006) who deals with the question whether men and women who speak a particular language use it in different ways. He claims that “men’s speech usually provides the norm against which women’s speech is judged” (Wardhaugh, 2006, page 317). Wardhaugh (2006) states, in conversations with other women, women talk about themselves, feelings, affiliation with others, home and family, while men use talk to get things done.
When men talk to other men, they focus on competition and teasing, sports, aggression and doing things. Regarding cross-gendered conversations, men take the initiative, speak less aggressively and competitively, but tend to interrupt women more likely, they challenge, dispute, ignore and try to control. Women reduce their amount of talk about home and family, ask more questions than men, encourage others to speak and tend to use more back-channelling signs like mhmm.
Robin Lakoff who researched about language and gender, suggested certain linguistic features, which seem to be typical for women’s speech, such as
.lexical hedges or fillers, like you know, sort of and well.
.tag questions, e.g. she’s very nice, isn’t she?
.rising intonation on declaratives, e.g. it’s really good.
.‘empty’ adjectives, e.g. divine, charming, and cute.
.precise colour terms, e.g. magenta, aquamarine.
.intensifiers such as just and so, e.g. I like him so much.
.‘hypercorrect’ grammar, e.g. consistent use of standard verb forms.
.super-polite’ forms, e.g. indirect requests, euphemisms.
.avoidance of strong swearwords, e.g. fudge, my goodness.
.emphatic stress, e.g. it was a BRILLIANT performance.
(Holmes, 1992, page 314.)
Another, quite interesting aspect is the way women talk and how this could be judged regarding their position in politics:
There is also a very interesting example from English of a woman being advised to speak more like a man in order to fill a position previously filled only by men. Margaret Thatcher was told that her voice did not match her position as British Prime Minister: she sounded too ‘shrill’. She was advised to lower the pitch of her voice, diminish its range, and speak more slowly, and thereby adopt an authority, almost monotonous delivery to make herself heard. (Wardhaugh, 2006, page 319.)
Regarding this example, women tend to be judged more negatively concerning the way they speak. The article “The Way You Talk Could Be Hurting Your Job Prospects” deals with the vocal fry register, which is quite popular among young girls in the US, although researchers found out that women using the vocal fry register, tend to appear less educated, trustworthy and competent as a prospective hire. According to Isherwood (2013), vocal fry is produced by slowly fluttering the vocal cords, which results in a popping or creaking sound at the bottom of the vocal register.
Further, the vocal fry register is more widely used in singing than might at first seem apparent. However, Ikuko Patricia Yuasa (2010) states, that vocal frying has become quite popular in natural conversations among young female speakers of American English, although a creaky voice previously has been seen as a masculine feature. She also claims that this voice quality may be reinterpreted as a new type of female voice in America.
Didactic Analysis
References to the Curriculum
The Bavarian curriculum suggests in the case ofSprachreflexionthat students should learn about different varieties: „Sprachvarietäten (z. B. Dialekt, Soziolekt, Register)“. This is just the case for grade ten. At no other point in the curriculum there is a suggestion to talk about dialect, sociolect or register in the English class. Further, the curriculum suggests concerningLeseverstehen that students should be able to deal with long and difficult texts: „längere und komplexere Sachtexte […] zu einem breiten Themenspektrum möglichst selbständig erschließen, auch unter gezielter Nutzung von Hilfsmitteln”. In addition, vocabulary should be deepened: „Wortschatz zur Textbesprechung vertiefen und erweitern”. Referring toTexterstellung, students are expected to be able to paraphrase and comment: „Texte zusammenfassen, erläutern und kommentieren”.
.become familiar with a gender-related variation
.be able to deal with a longer text
.filter and depict information from a text
.summarise and comment a text
.be able to give their opinion in plain words
Difficulties of the Foreign Language Material
During the presentation, fellow students did not know what the vocal fry is, although they were expected to have heard of it at least in the phonetics course. Because of these assumptions, it was missed to show examples.However,in the English class room students should be shown examples, because these will make it more clear and interesting.
Further, the topic is quite specific, so students will need proper and simple explanations. Regarding vocabulary and their use, there are a lot of unfamiliar words and phrases which need to be explained, especially linguistic terms:
Analysis of the Method
Justification of Methodical Decisions
The text was chosen, because it deals with a feature, students come across when they watch American English TV shows and series. Furthermore, the text is quite humorous, which is important when talking about gender in such a scientific context. Students should be given an overview about certain linguistic features with the aid of video clips, which is a fun way to interest students in gender-related variations.
The task Understanding the text deals with the reception of the text on the basis of two questions, in which students have to show they understand the statement of the text. A step further demands a detailed representation and comment, why vocal fry is so popular. Concerning the task Composition, students ought to show that they are able to write their thoughts out.
In doing so, they are expected to include the content from the prior tasks in a larger context. Furthermore, students should show that they are able express themselves and present their point of view.
Draft of a Possible Lesson
The following draft is written in German, because important information may be lost.
References
Curriculum (2004). Englisch (1. und 2. Fremdsprache) Jahrgangsstufe 10.RetrievedJuly 6, 2014, from .
Hiscott, R. (2014). The Way You Talk Could Be Hurting Your Job Prospects. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Holmes, J. (1992). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. New York: Longman.
Isherwood, N. (2013). The Techniques of Singing. Kassel: Bärenreiter.
Wardhaugh, R. (2006). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics (5th ed.). Blackwell: Malden.
Yuasa, L. P. (2010). Creaky Voice: A New Feminine Voice Quality For Young Urban-Oriented Upwardly Mobile American Women? American Speech, 85, 315–337.
YouTube (2012). The Vocal Fry Epidemic. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from
Appendix
Please read the article and answer the following questions.
The Way You Talk Could Be Hurting Your Job Prospects
The Huffington Post | By Rebecca Hiscott
May 30, 2014
Turns out, it's better to sound like Clueless' Cher Horowitz than it is to sound like Britney Spears.
In a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Miami and Duke University argue that a common type of speech known as “vocal fry” can hurt a job candidate’s prospects, especially a woman's.
What is vocal fry? It's a low-pitched, creaky-sounding speech inflection. Think of early Britney Spears or the Kardashians and you'll start to get the idea. Vocal fry is produced by a slow, irregular fluttering of the vocal chords, resulting in a staccato, creaky or popping sound in speech.
[ .]
But while vocal fry may not matter in college, it could be tanking your job prospects. In the new, much larger study, researchers asked seven male and seven female participants between the ages of 19 and 30 to say the phrase, “Thank you for considering me for this opportunity,” in a normal tone, then again with vocal fry.
Then, 800 men and women of all ages listened to the samples and noted, through an online survey, which speaker they found to be more educated, trustworthy, competent, attractive and appealing as a prospective hire.
For each quality, the listeners preferred the normal voice to the fry voice in both male and female speakers. Women with vocal fry also received lower scores overall than men with vocal fry, and women were hardest on other women who used it.
[ .]
Vocal frying should not be confused with “uptalk,” which adds an upward inflection to the end of sentences -- like a question mark. Uptalk was most notably characterized by the Valley Girl talk of the "Clueless" generation. For years, it was perceived to be a sign of shallowness or even intellectual inferiority, but more recent research suggests that smart, successful women (and men!) do it too.
“Human beings find typical-sounding voices -- voices that are around the mean or norm -- more appealing,” Casey A. Klofstad, an associate professor of political science at the University of Miami and one of the paper's co-authors, told The Huffington Post. "While someone with a distinctive or unusual voice might be more memorable, we find an average voice to be more appealing.”
Klofstad and his fellow researchers were surprised by these results. Previous studies have suggested that deeper-voiced women are seen as better leaders, and vocal fry has been shown to prevail among successful women working in male-dominated industries. (Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson has been pointed to as a fryer of note.)
It's no secret that women are often judged more harshly in the workplace than men, and this is hardly the first time they have caught flack for their voices. New York magazine points out that Abramson’s voice has been compared to a “nasal car honk,” while Hillary Clinton’s voice has been called “shrill” and “nagging” by some of her detractors.
“It’s a two-way street,” said Klofstad. “This can be seen as a cautionary tale to prospective employers: Think about the ways you might be implicitly biased. Don’t let that bias override your better judgment in potential hiring.
Understanding the text
Answer the questions in your own words.
a.) What have researchers found out and what problems do women have to face?
________________________________________________
b.) What is “vocal fry”?
________________________________________________
A step further
If vocal fry grates on the ear, why is it a growing trend?
________________________________________________
Composition
“It's no secret that women are often judged more harshly in the workplace than men, and this is hardly the first time they have caught flack for their voices.” (60/61) Discuss the situation of women in the world of work today.
Sint-Michielsinstituut Keerbergen Schriek info@smiks.be OPDRACHT ENGELS Onderwerp: Essay Naam: Klas: 6EMT Nummer: 14 Datum: 08/02/2020 Vakleraar: E. Peeters Score Max “We gave you a perfectly good language and you f****ed up” Stephen Fry This essay is about the English Language. Specifically…
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