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TITLE Gender Differences In The Language Use Of Malaysian Teen Bloggers AUTHOR(S) Amir, Zaini; Abidin, a!irah; Darus, "aadiyah; Ismail, #embo$a PUBLICATION DATE %anuary &'(& SOURCE G)MA Online %ournal of Language "*udies;&'(&, +ol, (& Issue (, -('. SOURCE TYPE Academic %ournal DOCUMENT TYPE Ar*icle

Introduction "ocie*y has cons*ruc*ed *he belief *ha* men and /omen ac* and beha0e differen*ly *o images of masculini*y and feminini*y, In *oday1s /orld, gender roles are fas* changing /here s*ereo*y-ing of men *o masculine and /omen *o feminine are no longer -rominen*, More and more language and gender s*ereo*y-es are becoming ina--licable *o *oday1s men and /omen, General, men and /omen are 2no/n *o use language differen*ly, bu* some*imes *hey may unin*en*ionally e3hibi* feminine or masculine s-eech charac*eris*ics res-ec*i0ely /hen *hey *al2,

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Gender difference in !o"en #$n%u$%e 4 /omen and man s-ea2 )nglish in differen* /ays, The ha0e been *augh* *o s-ea2 differen*ly since young 5 girls should s-ea2 in a -assi0e 0oice and boys should *al2 s-ea2 in ac*i0e 0oice6 7La2off ,(89.: ;omen fre<uen*ly use language such as i, ii, iii, i0, 0, )m-*y ad$ec*i0es In*ensifiers and <ualifiers Tag <ues*ions edges =oli*e forms

4;omen ha0e smaller 0ocabularies, sho/ e3*ensi0e use of cer*ain ad$ec*i0es and ad0erbs, >more of*en *han men brea2 off /i*hou* finishing *heir sen*ences, because *hey s*ar* *al2ing /i*hou* ha0ing *hough* ou* /ha* *hey are going *o say1 and -roduce less com-le3 sen*ences,6 7%es-ersen ,(8&&, -, &.(: Men could s/i*ch *o-ics , and /omen *a2e *urns *o s-ea2 , su--or* o*her o-inions , gi0ing com-limen*s and don1* in*erru-* , ?on0ersa*ion among same se3 5@ ;omen A -ersonal *o-ics Men A-ublic issues and a0oid -ri0a*e *o-ics, More in*o see2ing informa*ion, s*raigh*for/ard manner and use au*hori*a*i0e language,

Gender difference in &ritten #$n%u$%e Besearch on gender differences in /ri**en language is limi*ed com-ared *o gender differences in s-o2en languages There are differences be*/een language used by genders ,I*s differ due *o differen* *y-es of discourse and o*her fac*ors ,

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4Gender differences, focusing on s-ecific linguis*ic charac*eris*ics such as usage of ad0erbials, re-e*i*ion of *he same /ords, es-ecially nouns, and *he use of synonyms and hy-onyms6 7$ones C Myhill ,&''9: )3-lored *he gender differences in "/edish s*uden*s1 /ri*ing and iden*ifica*ion of female and male language fea*ures, 7Gyllgard ,&''D: A2hmaliah 7&''8: found *ha* female bloggers /ho is 7&' *o &E years old undergradua*e s*uden*s : fre<uen*ly u-da*ed *heir blogs ,"he selec*ed & /eblog hos*s 7 Friends*er C Blogs-o*: as her baseline da*a, Using La2off 7(89.: fea*ures, she iden*ified only four fea*ures, These fea*ures are le3ical hedges, *ag <ues*ions, in*ensifiers, and a0oidance of *aboo language, "he concluded only E fea*ures a--earing in female blog -os*s /hich rela*ed *o La2off1s *heory , *ha* is le3ical hedges , in*ensifiers and *ag <ues*ions ,

Gender $nd on#ine #$n%u$%e erring 7(88E, -, G:, in her discourse analysis of a ?om-u*er Media*ed ?ommunica*ion 7?M?: bulle*in board described *he fea*ures of /omen1s language as Ha**enua*ed asser*ions, a-ologies, e3-lici* $us*ifica*ion, <ues*ions, -ersonal orien*a*ion and su--or* of o*hersH, /hereas some fea*ures of menIs language /ere Hs*rong asser*ions, self -romo*ion, rhe*orical <ues*ions, au*hori*a*i0e orien*a*ion, challenges and humor,6 uffa2er and ?al0er* 7&''.: , focused on *eenage grou-s as *he highes* users of blog as /ell as o*her ?M? *ools, @They found *ha* male language /as more aggressi0e and ac*i0e *han female language , @ alf of *eenage bloggers using e3-lici* language in *heir blog -os* , @*he *eenagers -referred *o use slang ra*her *han s*andard language , @The researchers concluded *ha* *he use of language in ?M? e0ol0es /i*h *he communi*ies *ha* -ar*ici-a*e in i*s discourse,

T'e n$ture of (#o%

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4Blogs are /eb -ages fre<uen*ly u-da*ed /i*h -os*s in re0erse chronological order and *he language used is less cons*rained by formali*y , 7?al0er*, &''.: Blogs encourage self@e3-ression, crea*i0i*y, o/nershi- and communi*y building *hrough informal /ri*ing, 7 Le0y,&''8: 4Use of blogs /as able *o de0elo- s*uden*s1 /ri*ing s2ills in language learning, 7 Zaini e* al, , &'((: @Allo/s subscribers or bloggers *o learn from one ano*her in *erms of ideas , grammar and s*ruc*ure , and organi!a*ion of *heir essay,

The researchers es*ablished *ha* *he differences and similari*ies in language use be*/een bo*h se3es /ere more -ronounced in blogs com-ared *o o*her ?M? *ools,

T'e !ur!o e of t'e tud) This s*udy in0es*iga*es *he differences in language use by female and male Malaysian *eenage bloggers /ho use blogs as a diary *o e3-ress *heir daily issues abou* life,

Met'odo#o%) Using a <uali*a*i0e a--roach, *his s*udy aims *o e3amine gender differences obser0ed in *he language fea*ures used by male and female *eenagers in *heir blogs, This s*udy /ill in0es*iga*e language use among male and female *eenagers /ho crea*ed and main*ained *heir blogs o0er a -eriod of *hree mon*hs, The main -ar*ici-an*s for *his s*udy /ere selec*ed from BlogMalaysia,com,, a -la*form in Malaysian Bloggers Direc*ory, Focus of *his s*udy /as *o obser0e any gender differences in language use by Malaysian *eenagers /ho fre<uen*ly u-da*e *heir blogs, E cri*eria /as used *o selec* *he -ar*ici-an*s i, The -ar*ici-an* should be a uni0ersi*y undergradua*e s*uden* ma$oring in any field, The -os*s should be /ri**en in )nglish and *he blog mus* ha0e accumula*ed more *han .' -os*s since i* s*ar*ed,

ii,

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iii,

The -ar*ici-an* has been a blogger for more *han one year and fre<uen*ly u-da*es *he blog,

The -ar*ici-an*s of *he s*udy are four bloggers consis*ing of */o male and */o female bloggers,

Re e$rc' in tru*ent Blog @Blog chosen from BlogMalaysia,com , because i* is free and *he fas*es* gro/ing blog direc*ory in Malaysia, ;ord coun*ing *ool @used *o coun* *he fre<uency of /ords, @;ord ?oun*er /i*h Fre<uency "*a*is*ics ?alcula*or is used *o coun* *he fre<uency of occurrences of *he charac*eris*ics in blog -os*ings, This *ool /as crea*ed by ?om-u*er "u--or* Grou- 7?"G: and is a 0ery useful *ools for /eb designer1s *o im-ro0e *heir si*e, as /ell as for *he s*uden*s and o*hers *o im-ro0e *heir /ri*ing s2ills, ?hec2lis* @used as a *ool *o assis* in *he -rocess of obser0ing *he blog @The chec2lis* consis*ed of language charac*eris*ics /hich /ere ada-*ed from %es-ersen 7(8&&:, La2off 7(89.: and ?ra/ford 7(88.:, /i*h addi*ional columns for ne/ findings, Re u#t Fi0e ca*egories of language fea*ures emerged from *he da*a analysis5 in*ensifiers, hedges,*ag <ues*ions, em-*y ad$ec*i0es, and ad0erbs )0idence from each ca*egory /ill also be -resen*ed *o gi0e a be**er e3-lana*ion

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$) Inten ifier %an@March "( Male "& "E Female "J

Usage of in*ensifiers A0erage number of in*ensifiers used in *he -os*s

(EJ &,D&

&E (,'J

(9G J,.D

&(' E,&G

T$(#e + @in*ensifiers used by male s*uden* 7"(: for *he firs* <uar*er of *he year is (EJ for .( -os*s on blog and *he 7a0erage number of in*ensifiers used in -os*s is &,D&: @in*ensifiers used by male s*uden* 7"&: for *he firs* *hree mon*hs of *he year is &E for && -os*s and *he 7a0erage number of in*ensifiers used in *he -os*s is (,'J: @ in*ensifiers used by female s*uden* 7"E: for *he firs* *hree mon*hs of *he year is (9G for E8 -os*s on blog and *he 7a0erage number of in*ensifiers used in *he -os*s is J,.D: @ in*ensifiers used by female s*uden* 7"J: for *he firs* <uar*er of *he year is &(' for DJ -os*s on blog and *he 7a0erage number of in*ensifiers used in -os*s is E,&G: @ *he fre<uency of occurrences of in*ensifiers is higher in blogs /ri**en by females 7nKEGG: *han in *hose /ri**en by males 7nK(.9:,

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() Hed%in%

%an@March "(

Male "& "E

Female "J

Usage of le3ical hedges A0erage number of hedges used in *he -os*s

((J

&9

8J

&JD

&,&E

(,'

&,J(

E,GJ

T$(#e , Table & sho/s *ha* *he females 7"E and "J: used le3ical hedges more fre<uen*ly in *heir -os*ings /i*h "J ha0ing *he highes* number 7nK&JD: com-ared *o "E 7nK8J:, The differences in *he fre<uency may be due *o *he huge difference in *he number of -os*ings,"E only had E8 -os*s *hroughou* *hree mon*hs /hile "J had DJ en*ries al*oge*her,

c) T$% -ue tion

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%an@March "(

Male "& "E

Female "J

Usage of *ag <ues*ion A0erage number of *ag <ues*ions used in *he -os*s

(8 ',E9

( ','J

D ',(.

JJ ',DG

T$(#e . From Table E once again "(, /ho is a male blogger, used *ag <ues*ions more 7nK(8: *han "E 7nKD:, /ho is a female blogger because of *he difference in *he number of -os*s, O0erall, i* e3-lains *ha* *here are significan* differences in *he number of *ag <ues*ions used by bo*h se3es because *he *o*al number of -os*ings for male bloggers 7"(and "&: /ere &' and *he *o*al number of -os*ings for female bloggers "E and "J: /ere .',

d: )m-*y ad$ec*i0es %an@March "( Male "& "E Female "J

Usage of em-*y ad$ec*i0es A0erage number of em-*y ad$ec*i0es used in*he -os*s

G'

(&

DJ

(9.

(,.D

',.J

(,DJ

&,9E

T$(#e /

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o0erall *he da*a sho/s *ha* female bloggers used em-*y ad$ec*i0e more 7nK&E8: *han male bloggers 7nK8&:, This huge difference migh* occur because of *he /ay /omen usually incor-ora*e feelings and emo*ions in*o *heir e3-ressions

e) $d0er(

%an@March "(

Male "& "E

Female "J

Usage of ad0erbs A0erage number of ad0erbs used in *he -os*s

.D (,'8

(E ',.8

&D ',DD

.( ',98

T$(#e 1 The resul*s sho/ *ha* female bloggers used sligh*ly more ini*ial ad0erbs 7nK99: *han male bloggers 7nKD8:, The difference in *he number of ad0erbs used by female and male bloggers is no* large, Thus, /e can conclude *ha* *his language fea*ure is no* gender s-ecific,

2indin% The findings sho/ *ha* *here are differences be*/een male and female bloggers in *he fre<uencies of fi0e language fea*ures /hich are Iin*ensifiersI, IhedgingI, I*ag <ues*ionsI, Iem-*y ad$ec*i0esI and Iad0erbsI, The resul*s of *he s*udy sho/ *ha* differences in language use among *eenage bloggers may largely be a**ribu*ed *o gender,

Conc#u ion

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gender differences in language use reflec* differen* and une<ual roles and s*a*us, i* resul*s in /omen using more hedges and in*ensifiers com-ared *o men, ;omen and men use *he language according *o *he socie*y1s beliefs of ho/ bo*h se3es should communica*e, In conclusion, language fea*ures such as in*ensifiers, le3ical hedges and em-*y ad$ec*i0es are 0ery closely rela*ed *o gender and sociali!a*ion, The findings of *his s*udy indica*e *ha* *here are some gender differences in language use among Malaysian *eenage bloggers

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