5.0185 Rs: Male/Female Speech; E-Mail Recs (2/49)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Tue, 25 Jun 91 16:09:37 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0185. Tuesday, 25 Jun 1991.
(1) Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1991 22:23:11 EDT (20 lines)
From: slhi@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Sarah L. Higley)
Subject: Re: 5.0179 Qs: Male/Female Speech
(2) Date: Mon, 24 Jun 91 09:12:52 EDT (29 lines)
From: Chris Ann Matthews <chrisann@soil.Princeton.EDU>
Subject: E-mail recommendations, Dana Cartwrigt
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1991 22:23:11 EDT
From: slhi@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Sarah L. Higley)
Subject: Re: 5.0179 Qs: Male/Female Speech
In response to Frederick Van Doren's query about male/female speech:
Have you thought of using Robin Lakoff's (now fairly dated) _Language and
Woman's Place_? I think that's the correct title. The book is back at
my office and I tried using it in my HEL course only to find that it was
pitched at a sixties' audience. She talks about "color" words and
modifiers and rising inflections, most of which seems to me fairly
dated. Shouldn't this issue of male/female speech and its distinctions
be challenged? I think it's a myth. There are all registers of
language: those expressing aggression, education, social status,
propitiation, linguistic background, privilege, non-privilege;
connecting all of these nuances to gender seems dangerous to me.
Sarah L. Higley
slhi@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
The University of Rochester
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------39----
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 91 09:12:52 EDT
From: Chris Ann Matthews <chrisann@soil.Princeton.EDU>
Subject: E-mail recommendations, Dana Cartwrigt
In response to Professor Cartwright's objections to using electronic mail
for job recommendations:
My boss has used electronic mail to send job recommendations for his
students on at least three occasions this year. All were cases of
overseas applications. I know that in at least one case, the
information was urgently needed to be discussed in a meeting. On each
occasion, the e-mail was gratefully received by the recipient and it was
greatly appreciated by the applicant, for whom time was of the essence.
On another occasion, our department was hiring a senior statistician
from the industry sector, and e-mail communications enabled my boss (the
director), our chairman, and the busy applicant in touch and negotiating
throughout their busy schedules.
As for the confidentiality end of it, any intermediate secretaries or
systems programmers understand that confidentiality is part of their job
-- I regularly actually compose the letters myself, and my boss signs
them. Really, what is a secretary or computer programmer going to do
with that letter?
Finally, understanding that hiring dossiers remain a paper medium, we've
always sent the letter by post or by fax (sometimes both) to back it up
with a signature, for the record. But I do know that timely receipt of
e-mail has helped at least a few of our applicants.
Chris Ann Matthews