Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language

Genderlect is a combination of the word “gender” and “dialect.” Montell uses this term to refer to how women and men communicate when in same-sex groups. Men’s and women’s communication tends to differ more sharply when communicating with the same gender, and Montell explains that linguists call this phenomenon “genderlects.”

Grammatical gender refers to language systems that use gendered nouns and pronouns for everything, not just men and women. For instance, French and Italian have grammatical gender.

Montell uses grammatical gender as an example of how languages can have sexist bias entrenched in the very framework of the language itself, making it difficult to assert women’s political equality and lived experiences through language. For example, she points out that the words for many prestigious professions are masculine in French, while caretaking roles, such as nursing or being a servant, are feminine, which can reinforce sexist notions about gender roles and “women’s work.”

Hedging is the use of unnecessary filler words in a sentence. For instance, people “hedge” sentences with words such as “you know,” “well,” and “um.” Montell discusses how hedging is perceived as a feminine verbal trait, even though many men also use it. Montell claims that speakers use hedging when they want to soften their message and communicate sensitively about delicate subjects. As such, she does not believe that hedging is a poor communication habit, but rather a sign of skilled communication and the exploration of sensitive topics.

Pejoration is a form of semantic change in which a word’s meaning accrues negative associations over time, ultimately becoming an insult. Montell explains that many originally neutral words gained negative meanings over many generations and ultimately became today’s gendered insults for women, such as how the neutral “hussy,” derived from the Old English term “husewif,” eventually became a term of abuse.

Semantic change is the change of a word’s meaning. Montell explains that this usually happens over a long period of time as speakers begin to use the word differently and it accrues different associations, either being subject to pejoration or amelioration. Montell demonstrates that many English words have undergone semantic change as speakers have assigned new meanings to them, often creating new derogatory words for women.

Sociolinguistics is the study of language with a focus on culture and society. This branch of linguistics is most interested in how speakers use language and how language reflects and informs societal values and norms. Montell explains, “Linguistics is, in fact, the scientific study of how language works in the real world. Under that umbrella falls sociolinguistics, where the studies of language and human sociology intersect” (3).

Uptalk is a verbal habit in which speakers end their sentences on a higher pitch. Montell discusses how uptalk is most associated with young women, though this stereotype might not reflect its real usage. Like many other women’s linguistic features, commentators have criticized uptalk for sounding unintelligent and insecure, but Montell argues that it is actually the opposite: Speakers use uptalk to assert themselves. She points to evidence from disparate settings such as business meetings, academic settings, and sorority meetings to prove this point. Montell cites evidence that authority figures use uptalk significantly more than subordinates to support her argument that this linguistic feature is actually used to “assert dominance.”