1.What words do you use with your same-sex friends that you don’t use with
members of the opposite sex? Does this usage support Kramarae’s hypothesis
of male control of the public mode of expression?
2. In a journal article about dictionary bias, Kramarae wrote the sentence “I
vaginated on that for a while.”43 Can you explain her wordplay in light of the
principles of muted group theory? How does the meaning of the sentence
change when you replace her provocative term with alternative verbs?
3. Think about the majors offered at your school. Which ones tend to draw more
women, and which tend to draw more men? Which seem evenly split between
the sexes? What might Kramarae say about these patterns?
4. Do you tend to agree more with Tannen’s genderlect perspective or Kramarae’s
muted group theory? To what extent is your choice influenced by your gender
identity?
