Language Does More: “demographics”
It is a widely known fact that language usage varies from person to person. Differences in speech pattern or word usage often correlate with demographic categories (gender, race, age, level of income, education, and location). The way that a person is raised, as well as the people that surround them directly affect their identity, and in turn, the language they use.
One of the most studied examples of the connection between demographic category and language is the study of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), or Black English. Black English is similar to Standard American English (SAE), and can be understood by Standard American English speakers, and vice versa, but contains phonetic, lexical, and grammatical changes that make it its own distinct dialect. Being a Black person in the United States is a completely unique experience, and many people in the Black community use the dialect of AAVE, and view it as an important part of their upbringing and identity. AAVE is unique to Black Americans, and is directly correlated to the demographic category of race.
There are other language markers that can reveal the identity of a person, but have not been studied to the same extent as African American Vernacular English. In the workplace, many miscommunications that arise stem from gendered speech markers. It goes without saying that not all women use feminine speech markers, and not all men use masculine speech markers, but because of the history of our gendered society and the roles we were expected to take as we grew up, many people use gendered speech markers, as well as interpret these markers as gendered when others use them.
As explained by the article “Are There Really Differences in Gender Communication Styles”, “Women (and members of other subordinate groups) are not as free or as able as men are to say what they wish, when and where they wish, because the words and the norms for their use have been formulated by the dominant group, men.” (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Because of the gender roles that are modeled kids as they grow up, boys use more assertive and direct phrases when speaking, while girls lean more towards an emotional style of communication that is often less direct.
Where this gets muddled in the workplace is when these two different communication styles are interpreted incorrectly. For example, if a woman chooses to follow a less direct communication style, she might be perceived as less confident when they say things like “I was just wondering if maybe…”, or “I think a good way to deal with this might be…”. However, that same woman could also be perceived as bossy or too assertive when they use a masculine style of speaking, like “You need to…”, or “The best thing to do here is…”. Different styles of speaking are interpreted in different ways to reveal certain attributes about a person. Directness and gentleness are frequently interpreted as masculine or feminine features, respectively.
The demographic categories we fall into often represent our identities at the most basic level, but don’t tell the whole story of who we are - internally or linguistically. Nonetheless, demography is extremely important to acknowledge when thinking about the assumptions we make or biases we have against others. It makes sense that as humans, we use language to express our identities, both overtly and subliminally. Being able to understand our own speech patterns, as well as the way that we interpret the speech patterns of others allows us to be more effective communicators who can easily converse with anyone, regardless of their identity or self expression.
