Colloquial modernizations in Taiwanese gendered ‘Spouse talk’

Abstract

This study explores conventional and current gendered discourses, showing the impact that feminism has had on use of language. Students in two English classes at a teacher preparation college worked with us as facilitators or observers and collected conversations between spouses with the purpose of investigating the social vicissitudes evident in colloquial expressions of couples. A total number of 53 students cooperated with us as facilitators or observers to observe conversation patterns of spouses or what we refer to as ‘spouse talk’ in their own familial and social circles. Thereafter, we interviewed them and began with the open-ended question, “How do contemporary Taiwanese couples talk to each other?” In these interviews, our facilitators or observers largely used Bem’s (1981) sex role inventory to describe the characteristics of conversations between spouses. However, they suggested seven additional adjectives that were not in Bem’s inventory and these were added to our descriptors. The purpose of this study is to show that Taiwanese spouse talk is part of the present contexts influenced both by feminist ideas and traditionally patriarchal contexts. Indeed, the gap between the attitudes of the younger and older generations is due to differences in their situations.

Abstract in Chinese

本研究探討傳統和現今的性別話語, 表現出「女性主義」影響了語言的用法。本研究於一所師範大學的兩個英文班中, 收集資料。學生觀察夫妻間交談的口語表達方式。所衍伸出之主題明顯對映出台灣社會的變遷。 共五十三名大一學生與作者們合作以提供資料, 參與者專注於觀察配偶間的會話模式, 觀察的對象包括有父母、兄弟姊妹與親戚朋友。研究議題為: 「台灣當代夫妻如何互相交談?」 本研究建議以貝姆 (1981) 性別角色量表, 來形容夫妻之間的對話特徵。此外, 參與者建議了七個不在貝姆的辭彙庫存的形容詞。本研究目的是要闡明, 台灣配偶談話已被女權主義思想所衝擊, 惟傳統的保守文化影響仍存在至今。事實上, 年輕一輩和老一代的觀念之間差距甚大, 由於年紀, 教育程度, 及經濟環境的差異, 造成對話方式有所不同。本文探討當前重視女權的程度, 以高階與中高級英語水準兩個班級的學生所收集的資料, 反映出六大議題。

Keywords:

• patriarchy
• dichotomous characteristics
• femininity
• masculinity
• gendered discourses

Keywords:

• 父權制
• 二分法特徵
• 女人特質
• 男人特質
• 性別話語

Notes on contributors

Grace Hui Chin LIN has a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, College Station and a Masters of Science, USC. She conducted this research while teaching two Freshman English courses at National Changhwa University of Education along with Dr. Douglas Jarvie.

Douglas S. JARVIE has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Tunghai University and M.A. from University of Newcastle-upon Tyne, UK and a B.A. in Political Science/International Relations from the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington, USA. He has been teaching at Tunghai University for over 25 years and has extensive experience with different levels of English learners. He specializes in inspiring students with low motivation to use English and edits and tutors in writing journal articles, research papers and so on. He also taught in the English Language Center of Newcastle University and does special event teaching for English at institutions, such as hospitals and foundations. Dr. Jarvie also studies volunteerism and social action and is a founder of an animal welfare organization in Taichung. Email: [email protected]