Gender and language: Lakoff deficit model
Robin Lakoff's early theory proposing that women's language was characterised by features suggesting lack of confidence and authority, positioning women as deficient speakers.
Real World
When Hillary Clinton was first entering politics in the 1970s, commentators often criticised her speech as tentative or unassertive — exactly the kind of gendered deficit interpretation Lakoff described.
Exam Focus
Evaluate Lakoff by noting her data was impressionistic, not empirical — examiners reward critical engagement over simply describing the model's features.
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