Marvel Superheroes' Progressive Use of Female Speech
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2022-07-07
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en
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Abstract
This thesis in the field of gendered language tries to determine whether there is a relation between the stereotypical female speech features postulated by Lakoff (2004, but originally 1975) as used by superheroes from modern Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies and the genders of their writers and directors. Female speech features are still relevant in modern research when fighting for gender equality and against outdated stereotypes in media because it can set an example for future works. The language of characters Carol Danvers/Captain
Marvel and Steve Rogers/Captain America as well as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Tony Stark/Iron Man is analysed and compared, resulting in two major findings. One, female speech features appear to be used more often by female characters written by women than those written by men, and two, interestingly, the male characters’ use of female speech in general outweighs that of the female characters. These perhaps unexpected results might
indicate that the use of female speech features is based on personality and context rather than gender. The stereotypes of female speech appear to be obsolete and not employed by Marvel movie creators anymore, which brings humanity one step closer to gender equality in the
future.
Keywords: gendered language, female speech, Lakoff, stereotypes, Marvel
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