ABSTRACT

In order to gain a better understanding of the gender differences in English, this study explores the language use in the first season of American series Gossip girl, in terms of phonology, lexicon and syntax. It is discovered that females use standard pronunciation, rising tone, tag questions, hedges and emphatic modifiers more frequently than males while males frequently use swearing words. These differences can be accounted by different social status and roles, different subcultures and different psychological features. In addition, non-gender factors might be another explanation of the difference such as personality, social experiences and context. The findings of this study are expected to promote the better understanding of the English language and the harmonious communication between males and females in English 

Key Words：language；gender difference；Gossip Girl

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One  INTRODUCTION-1

Chapter Two  LITERATURE REVIEW-3

2.1 Sex and Gender-3

2.2 Previous Studies on Gender and Language-3

2.3 Studies in China-5

Chapter Three  GENDER DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE: EVIDENCE FROM GOSSIP GIRL-7

3.1 Phonological Differences-7

3.1.1 Difference in pronunciation-7

3.1.2 Difference in intonation-8

3.2 Lexical Differences-9

3.2.1 Emphatic modifiers-9

3.2.2 Swearing words-10

3.3 Syntactic Differences-11

3.3.1 Mitigated forms-11

3.3.2 Tag questions-12

Chapter Four  CAUSES OF GENDER DIFFERENCES-13

4.1 Social Reasons for Gender Differences in Language Use-13

4.1.1 Difference in social roles and status-13

4.1.2 Difference in sub-cultures-14

4.1.3 Difference in psychological features-15

4.2 Non-gender Reasons for Gender Differences in Gossip Girl-15

Chapter Five   CONCLUSION-17

REFERENCES-18