A Sociolinguistic Study of Female Language with Reference to English and Kurdish

Abstract

The main aims of this study are to point out whether some aspects of language such as ‘‘hedges and fillers, tag-questions, hypercorrect grammar, interruption, soft swear words emphatic stress, super polite form, intensifiers, empty adjectives and rising intonation’’, which are indicated by Lakoff, are used by females of English and Kurdish societies for different purposes or not, and if the level of literacy of females has any effect of them in using or not. To collect data, an open-ended questionnaire is used for collecting data from 70 senior Kurdish female students at Salahaddin University/ College of Languages/ English Department and 70 senior English female students at University of Leicester/ School of English. Both sides of the participants were asked to express their views on the same 10 statements. The researcher employed a mixed-methodologies technique that used quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the data that was collected. The current study concluded that both sides of participants use most of the selected aspects of language for different purposes and the level of literacy of females has some effects on them in communication because through the process of education people can learn how to use the aspects of their language correctly.