Gendered Discourse in Professional Communication develops new theoretical and methodological approaches, employing an interdisciplinary, multi-method approach which includes the introduction of a framework entitled 'critical feminist' sociolinguistics'. The analysis focuses on linguistic practices used within corporate managerial interactions in conjunction with the gendered discourses that operate within these businesses. The study highlights the crucial role that gendered discourses play in defining 'acceptable' professional identities, and explores the manner in which these discourses serve to maintain the 'glass ceiling'.
Author(s): Louise Mullany
Series: Palgrave Studies in Professional and Organizational Discourse
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 260
Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
List of Tables and Diagrams......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 11
Transcription Conventions......Page 13
Why choose the professional workplace?......Page 14
Interdisciplinarity......Page 18
Workplace research ethics......Page 22
Workplace inequalities in management......Page 25
Overall aims and objectives......Page 28
Introduction......Page 30
From variationism to social construction and social practice......Page 33
Defining discourse, defining gendered discourses......Page 42
Discourse and power......Page 50
Gendered work......Page 55
Qualitative and quantitative methodologies......Page 62
Sociolinguistics and ethnography......Page 65
Approaching and negotiating with organizations......Page 68
Participant observation......Page 73
Introducing the companies......Page 82
An integrated linguistic framework......Page 86
Conceptualizing linguistic politeness......Page 89
Floorholding......Page 92
Speech acts......Page 94
Humour......Page 99
Small talk......Page 103
The Technical Department......Page 108
The Product Department......Page 119
The Sales Group......Page 130
The Services Department......Page 138
The Product Review Team......Page 150
The Business Control Team......Page 166
Management and gendered speech styles......Page 180
The discourse of gender difference and the double bind......Page 182
Discourses of motherhood and the family......Page 204
Dominant discourses of femininity: Image and sexuality......Page 209
Resistant discourses......Page 214
Summary......Page 217
The dominance of difference......Page 219
Moving forward: Challenging gendered discourses......Page 222
Towards an integrated interdisciplinary approach......Page 228
Appendix......Page 230
References......Page 233
D......Page 245
H......Page 246
M......Page 247
S......Page 248
W......Page 249
