SOCIOLINGUISTICS

1. introduction

        Gender refers to sex. Sex is biological, either male or female. However, the term gender is more concerned on sociocultural behaviour rather than biological characteristic. 

Wikipedia (2018) stated that gender inequality is the idea and situation that women and men are not equal. It also refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals wholly or partly due to their gender. It arises from differences in gender roles.

            Gender influences our language in many aspects and one of them is communication. Female and male speak in different ways and have talked differently since children. Sanow (2015) stated that men and women communicate differently. Although men and women speak the same language, we have differences in priorities, internal processing and behavior patterns. It is easy to misunderstand, misinterpret or simply not get where the other is coming from. To increase your ability to persuade, motivate, influence and get along, you must understand gender communication rules or gender codes for how men and women communicate. This in-turn will help you build rapport, relationship and connect.

            Language is an art and artefact of society. It is used for conversation, written and to express identity. It can be recreated, expanded and extended. Its constructs are based on sounds and symbols. Each symbol and sound has its own meaning. The most important symbol of language is words. It also has its rules like grammar. It is supported by Graham (2014) who stated that the symbols of language are words. By constructing words and stringing them together according to a set of rules – the grammar of the language – we are able to construct meaningful utterances.

2.0 GENDER INEQUALITY IS BUILT IN ALL HUMAN LANGUAGES

            I agree with the statement “Gender inequality is a phenomenon that is built into all human languages” because of several reasons. The reasons include the following:

 

2.1 Kelantan dialect among men is purer

If we look at how Kelantanese talk, a man tends to use pure Kelantan dialect compared to women. We can see when a man talks to his male friend, he tends to use the words ‘kawe’ and ‘demo’. He rarely talks by using “saya” vs. “awak”, “aku” vs. “mu” or “kamu”. This situation is different among Kelantan woman in which she also uses Kelantan dialect but not as pure as the man. She talks by using pronouns such as “saya” vs. “awak” or “aku” vs. “mu”. She rarely uses pure Kelantan words like “bedooh lalu”, “timbok”, “nate”, “pozek” and “berat nane”.

 

2.2 The level of education among female is higher than male

Nowadays, we can see that the women have higher education level than men. If we go to universities, we can see they are monopolized by women. If we go to schools, we can see that the cleverest classes are monopolized by girls. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 specifically mentioned the problem of ‘lost boys’, warning that these alienated youths are a potential source of social instability (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2012). This situation will affect many sectors like education, manufacturing, political and so on.

The Ministry of Women and Family Development (2013) stated that the University of Malaya has been emblematic of the shift from female underrepresentation to forming the majority of undergraduates. Two years after independence, University of Malaya enrolled 77 female undergraduates, comprising a mere 10.7% of their total undergraduate student population, while the female undergraduate enrolment in 2012 was 61.6%. The drastic change in gender ratio has changed the discourse of educational inequity from enabling educational access to female students to ensuring equitable participation of males in education. So, this is one proof that the achievement of female in education is higher than male.

The gap of education achievement between male and female gives several effects on the style of language usage. Fabrega (2012) stated that an educated person has the ability to communicate thoughts and ideas in writing, clearly and concisely. So, that is why they do not like to talk unimportant things, babbling and talk too long. Female might feel bored if they are conversing with uneducated person. So, that is why female cannot be a close friend with uneducated person even though that person is her boyfriend. Majority of them will break up some day. Female who married uneducated person will feel incompatible with her spouse because of the language that he uses, lacking of knowledge in many things, does not know to entertain her properly and talks irrelevant matters. The situation is different when an educated person meets an educated person. It is supported by Fabrega (2012) who stated that an educated person understands human nature and has the ability to establish, maintain, and improve lasting relationships.

 

2.3 Men tend to use assertive language

            As we know, most of the men are strict in educating their child so, that is why they always use assertive sentences. For example, “finish your homework before 5pm”. They always use the assertive sentences at their office, for example, “I finished it yesterday”. It is supported by Bud (2015) who stated that women use less assertive tone which can be traced back to her upbringing. As little girls, women are taught to be polite, not aggressive or assertive. Men are encouraged and rewarded for aggressive tendencies when they are little boys. So, that is why they are different in attitude and the language usage.

            Women tend to use polite forms like “Would you mind ......”. The words and phrases are nicer and more polite. It is supported by Abdul Halim Ibrahim and Mariam Mohd Nor (2012) which stated that expressively polite forms such as please, I would be forever grateful, Would you please, If you don’t mind? are used more by women.

When she wants to refuse a request, she uses softener or polite phrases like:

“I'm sorry, I cannot attend the party tonight”

“I'm afraid, I don't have enough time this evening”. 

            The situation is the same when she wants to ask for permission like, “Could I borrow this pen please?”. Meanwhile, when she wants to ask something, she likes to use negative question form because it is more polite. For example, “Shouldn't we redesign the club logo?”. It looks like an indirect suggestion by changing the question into a negative question.

 

2.4 Giving of name

            Time influences us in choosing a suitable name for our daughter and son. People who live before independence time tend to use the Malay name for their baby like Melor, Mawar, Bawang Putih, Dewi, Awang and Mat Kilau. Then, they tend to use Arabic words for their babies’ names like Abdullah, Muhammad, Mansur, Sarimah, Khadijah and Fatimah. After several generations, people tend to use shorter names for their son or daughter like Azim, Anwar, Faizal, Salim, Azlina, Maslina and Hayati. We can see that people who were born in the 1980s and before have short and simple names.

Nowadays, people tend to use interesting and long names. It involves two, three or four words like Danial Haikal, Syafiq Aiman, Atiq Baihaki Darwisy, Farisya Idayu, Fasya Balqis, Nurul Ain Nurul Syuhada and Auni Insyirah. It is supported by Baby Centre (2012) which stated that there are quite a few newcomers to this year's top names for boys, including Aidan, Darwish, Umar, Amsyar and Alif. Other boys' names that are increasingly popular among BabyCenter parents are Aaron, Jayden and Isaac. Baby Centre (2012) added that when it comes to names for baby girls, this year's big gainer is Zara, which climbed three spots from last year's fifth to claim the second place.

We give different names for our daughter and son. We never give our daughter a name like Abdullah, Abdul Rahman and Syafiq. This situation is the same to our sons in which we do not give them names like Farisya, Hazwani and Diana. When we use Arabic names, we have to follow their culture, grammar and meaning.

                                                            

2.5 Malay style and title

            As we know, we use different title for different people depending on his or her status and also gender. That is because the Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics, which are used extensively in Brunei and Malaysia (Wikipedia, 2018).

            We use different titles for a Muslim man and woman who have performed the hajj, that is ‘haji’ for man and ‘hajjah’ for women.

Another title is ‘Encik’. It is equivalent to ‘Mr.’ It can be used for all men. It is a formal title for a man. We use ‘Cik’ for unmarried woman. It is equivalent to ‘Miss’. Besides, we use ‘Puan’ for married woman which is equivalent to ‘Madam’.

We also use different title for a male and female of Malaysian Royalty. We use ‘Sultan’ or ‘Raja’ for male royalty whereas ‘Sultanah’ or ‘Permaisuri’ for female royalty. However, we use different titles for the country’s ruler that is ‘Yang di-Pertuan Agong’ for male and ‘Permaisuri Agong’ for his wife. He is elected among the nine heads of the royal families. Negeri Sembilan has used different titles for their ruler which is ‘Yang di-Pertuan Besar’. Meanwhile, Penang, Melaka, Sabah and Sarawak do not have royal titles. The title for the Head of the State (Governor) is ‘Yang di-Pertuan Negeri’.

There are several federal titles that exist in Malaysia. The federal titles have been granted by ‘Yang di-Pertuan Agong’ as awards which are honorary and non-hereditary. ‘Yang di-Pertuan Agong’ can revoke the titles or the individual can return it. Some of the federal titles are:

• ‘Tun’ is given by ‘Yang di Pertuan Agong’ for the most-deserving recipient who has highly contributed to the nation like Tun Dr Mahathir. The title for his wife is ‘Toh Puan’.
• ‘Tan Sri’ is the second-most senior federal title. His wife is called ‘Puan Sri’. Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh is one of the examples.
• ‘Datuk’ is limited to recipients of ‘Panglima Jasa Negara’ and ‘Panglima Setia Diraja’. It is given to a male while ‘Datin Paduka’ is for female. However, ‘Datuk’ and ‘Dato’’ are different. ‘Dato’’ is given by ‘Sultan’ while ‘Datuk’ is given by ‘Yang di-Pertuan Negeri’ which is the non-hereditary head of state. ‘Datin’ is the title for his wife.

 

In Malaysia, the ruler or governor state can grant state title awards for Malaysians and also foreigners. The state titles are:

• ‘Dato’ Sri’ or ‘Dato’ Seri’ is the highest state title who has contributed greatly to the nation or state. His wife is called ‘Datin Seri’. Dato’ Sri Najib and Datin Seri Haflin are some of the examples.
• ‘Dato Paduka’ is the most-common title awarded in Brunei. His wife is called as ‘Datin’. However, if the award is conferred on a woman in her own right, it is called ‘Datin Paduka’.
• ‘Pehin’ is used in Sarawak and Brunei like Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib.

 

‘Abang’ is one of the Malay titles that can be inherited. The title is found in Sarawak. The title is from the family of ‘Datuk Patinggi’, ‘Datuk Temenggung’, ‘Datuk Bandar’ and ‘Datuk Iman’. The children of these state dignitaries carry the title ‘Abang’ for male and ‘Dayang’ for female.

‘Syed’ is one of the titles that can be found in Malaysia. It is inherited from the Prophet Muhammad via his grandson Hassan and Hussein. Female descendant is known as ‘Syarifah’.

‘Megat’ also is a title inherited by male descendant of ‘Pagaruyung Prince Megat Terawis’. He was the first Bendahara of Perak. His female descendant is known as ‘Puteri’. Besides, ‘Megat’ has been used by a half-blood royal male descendant of a female royal of Pahang.

We have the title ‘Wan’ in Pahang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. It is inherited to a son and daughter of a royal-family mother who has married with a commoner. An example of ‘Wan’ is Wan Azizah bt Wan Ismail.

Because of the different titles to male and female, this situation will produce many words in Malay language and enrich the language.

 

2.6 Kinship terms

Kinship term is used as a form in addressing and speaking with close people like family members and close friends. It has been used in Malay culture and also other cultures. We have to use the correct and proper kinship term to avoid people from labelling us as a rude person.

            In Malay language, we use different kinship terms to different gender. For instance, we use ‘ayah’, ‘abah’, ‘dady’, ‘papa’, ‘baba’, ‘walad’ and ‘abi’ for father (man). In English, they prefer call ‘father’ or ‘dad’. Father is our mother’s couple. He is the leader in a family. Father has produced many terms of words in the Malay language.

Mother also produced many terms of words in our culture like ‘mami’, ‘mama’, ‘ma’, ‘mak’, ‘ibu’, ‘umi’ and ‘mek’. Mother is someone who born us. In English, we call ‘mum’.

Besides, we use ‘kak’, ‘kak long’, ‘kak ngah’ and ‘kakak’ for sister. Sister is a girl or woman who has the same parents as us while a boy or man who has the same parents as us is our brother. We call him ‘abang’, ‘abang long’ and ‘abang ngah’.

 Words like ‘mak cik’ (untie), ‘pak cik’ (uncle), ‘mak sepupu’, ‘pak sepupu’, ‘nenek’ (grandma), ‘datuk’ (grandpa), ‘nenek saudara’ and ‘datuk saudara’ are also other types of kinship terms. They are also called as gender-specific common nouns.

 

2.7 Women tend to use more standard language than men

            Trotta (2012) stated that in linguistics, non-standard language usage is defined as any language usage that differs from the officially recognized prestige language variant as it is used primarily in written language and formal speech situations. Example of non-standard language is Penang dialect and Terengganu dialect.

            Not everyone agrees that the women tend to use standard language than men but many investigations have shown this and the evidence for it is very powerful. It is supported by Kyduyen Nguyen Tran (2016) who stated that female speakers tend to use more prestige forms than males. In all styles, women tend to use fewer stigmatized forms than men. In formal contexts, women seem to be more sensitive to prestige patterns than men.

 

2.8 Respond

            People like to give minimal respond to something unimportant. Minimal response is paralinguistic features like "mm", "uh-huh", “I agree”, “okay”, “no” and "yeah". They are used to show support to a speaker and also to give the speaker a sign that he or she can continue to talk.

            Female thinks that male tends to use minimal respond more than male but as a matter of fact, many studies have shown that women like to use minimal responses more frequently and more appropriately than men. It is supported by a research conducted by Hiba Tawfiq Abu Al Rub (2017) that showed 82.5% of his female respondents like to use minimal respond compared to 17.5% of male respondents.

 

2.9 Morphology

            Morphology is the study of words formation. There are many English words take the male form. When the words are used for female, they have to add suffix like lioness, stewardess, actress, princess, waitress, duchess and widower. However, they never add suffix for new word nowadays. It is supported by Debuk (2015) who stated that by the 1980s feminine suffixes were already less common than they had been 30 years earlier, and in the last 30 years their decline has continued. They survive in older words which are still frequently used, like actress, princessand heroine (and also in some less frequently used, ‘exotic’ items like dominatrix), but they aren’t generally added to new terms: there’s no such thing as a coderess, for instance, or an online moderatrix.

 

 

3.0 CONCLUSION

 

            In conclusion, male and female use different words, phrases and sentences when talking and writing. The differences build our language. They give effects on the existence of variety words because we have to use different word to different gender like “abang”, “datin”, “syarifah” and “ayah”. So, when we talk about certain words, we already know that the words are for certain gender.

            Gender also influences the sentence style like “Bakpo demo tok royak kawe demo nak gi KL”. Kelantan male tends to use pure Kelantan dialect. So, this situation affects the existence of sentence style. Usually Kelantan woman says “Bakpo awak tok royak saya, awak nak gi KL”. The different styles of talking show that gender influences the usage of language.

            Different gander has different attitudes. These attitudes influence our language. Female was born with softer characters than male so, she likes to use softer words, phrases and sentences. That is because her attitude influences the usage of words, phrases and sentences and also intonation. Male tends to use assertive sentences because he is born with an aggressive attitude.

            The gap of academic achievement between male and female influences our language. Female tends to use the standard language compared to male because she has better academic achievement than male. So, this situation will give effect to many sectors in our country like politics and economics since female will dominate those sectors.