In sociolinguistics and other social sciences, gender refers to sexual identity in relation to culture and

society.

The ways in which words are used can both reflect and reinforce social attitudes toward gender. In the
U.S., the interdisciplinary study of language and gender was initiated by linguistics professor Robin Lakof
in her book Language and Woman's Place (1975).

"It is quite clear that language use and the use of language are inseparable--that over generations and
centuries, people's constant talking deposits cultural beliefs and ideas in the medium of communication.
At the same time, the weight of the linguistics system constrains the kinds of things we say and the ways
we say them."

(Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet, Language and Gender, 2nd ed. Columbia University Press,
2013)

Language Use and Social Attitudes Toward Gender

"[T]here is now a greater awareness in some parts of the community that subtle, and sometimes not so
subtle, distinctions are made in the vocabulary choice used to describe men and women. Consequently,
we can understand why there is a frequent insistence that neutral words be used as much as possible, as
in describing occupations e.g., chairperson, letter carrier, salesclerk, and actor (as in 'She's an actor'). If
language tends to reflect social structure and social structure is changing, so that judgeships, surgical
appointments, nursing positions, and primary school teaching assignments are just as likely to be held by
women as men (or by men as women), such changes might be expected to follow inevitably.

. . . However, there is still considerable doubt that changing waitress to either waiter or waitperson or
describing Nicole Kidman as an actor rather than as an actress indicates a real shift in sexist attitudes.
Reviewing the evidence, Romaine (1999, pp. 312-13) concludes that 'attitudes toward gender equality
did not match language usage. Those who had adopted gender-inclusive language did not necessarily
have a more liberal view of gender inequalities in language.'"

(Ronald Wardhaugh, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 6th ed. Wiley, 2010)

Gender

"The nature of the relationship between gender and speech is complex, and the way gender interacts
with a range of other factors needs careful examination in each speech community."

-- Holmes
Women and men do not speak in exactly the same way as each other in any community. Gender
diferences in language are often just one aspect of more pervasive linguistic diferences in the society
reflecting social status or power diferences. It has been claimed that women are more linguistically
polite than men and that women and men emphasize diferent speech functions.

One of the most obvious speech diferences between men and women is in the pitch of their voices.
Along with the obvious physical diferences, social and cultural factors contribute to pitch diferences.

There are gender-exclusive and gender-preferential features. Gender-exclusive speech forms reflect
gender-exclusive social roles.

Gender and Social Class

The linguistic features which difer in the speech of women and men in Western communities are usually
features which also distinguish the speech of people from diferent social classes. There is widespread
evidence that men use more vernacular forms than women -- but there are exceptions to this pattern.

Signaling gender affiliation or constructing gender identity cannot be ignored as factors in their own
right.

Question: Why don't men use more standard forms?

Men may prefer vernacular forms because they carry macho connotations of masculinity and toughness.
If so, this might explain why women might NOT want to use such forms. Men may regard vernacular
forms positively and value them highly, which suggests these forms have "covert prestige" by contrast
with the overt prestige of the standard forms which are cited as models of correctness.

Age
Pitch, vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar can diferentiate age groups. These diferences include
the use of swear words and slang.

Some research suggests that as people get older their speech becomes gradually more standard, and
then later it becomes less standards and is once again characterized by vernacular forms. Generally, in
the middle years, (30 - 55) people are most likely to respond to the wider society's speech norms by
using fewer vernacular forms. These are the peak years of maximum societal pressure to conform

Like slang, vernacular forms act as solidarity markers; they can indicate membership of close-knit social
groups.

For an innovation -- a form on the increase -- there will be low use by older people and higher use
among young. For a form that is disappearing, the reverse is true.

SOURCE: http://linguisticswiki.blogspot.com/2011/09/08-gender-age-and-language.html?m=1