Gender and Genre Variation in Weblogs
نویسندگان
چکیده
A relationship among language, gender, and discourse genre has previously been observed in informal, spoken interaction and formal, written texts. This study investigates the language/gender/genre relationship in weblogs, a popular new mode of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Taking as the dependent variables stylistic features identified in machine learning research and popularized in a Web interface called the Gender Genie, a multivariate analysis was conducted of entries from random weblogs in a sample balanced for author gender and weblog sub-genre (diary or filter). The results show that the diary entries contained more 'female' stylistic features, and the filter entries more 'male' stylistic features, independent of author gender. These findings problematize the characterization of the stylistic features as gendered, and suggest a need for more fine-grained genre analysis in CMC research. At the same time, it is observed that conventional associations of gender with certain spoken and written genres are reproduced in weblogs, along with their societal valuations.
منابع مشابه
Language Change in Progress: Evidence from Computer- Mediated Communication
0. Introduction Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) has become an increasingly well investigated research area (cf. Herring 2001), and has led to the uncovering of interesting sociolinguistic findings involving variation (e.g., Herring 2003, 2004). For example, in their investigation of the relationship among language, gender, and genre in weblogs, Herring and Paolillo (2006) observe that the...
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