My Research Paper Resources

Here are the resources I found that will support my paper and give me the background I need to write a comprehensive essay.

Inoue, M. (2007). Language and gender in an age of neoliberalism. Gender and Language, 1(1), 79-91.

This particular article is a discussion on how neoliberal governmentality and the mode of power that goes along with that kind of government affects women in their learning process. The article discusses the way societal pressures, including government, changes the way women learn and express themselves. The author does a specific study of a corporate office in Tokyo. This article is valid for my own research because it will help me identify some of the pressures women face when learning a language and how those pressures can hold them back or make it more difficult for them to learn. This is a starting point for all of the cultural norms in different societies that will help me branch off to discuss how women are affected by pressures and norms from government, school, and society as a whole.

Ehrlich, Susan. "Gender as Social Practice: Implications for Second Language Acquisition." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 19 (1997): 421-46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

This article is a background informational piece that sums up the research that has already been done concerning gender and language acquisition. It gives an in depth description of the conclusions made about how gender affects learning and acquisition. The article then elaborates on the construct of gender and why it specifically can affect the way a person learned or acquires language. This is a good place to start for my own research because it will help me learn about the general work already done in the field while also giving me a place to start when writing my paper so I have a more in depth paper dealing with what previous research has not or has done only minimally.

Besnier, N. (2007). Language and gender research at the intersection of the global and the local. Gender and Language, 1(1), 67-78.

This article focuses on the global workings of language and how gender is constructed globally as well as locally. It creates a discussion space for language students to explore the implications of globalization on secondary language acquisition while also exploring the issue of gender in a globalized society. This article relates to my own topic in that it gives me a background on globalization and how that relates to gender and language learning. I can use it as an example of how ESL students and their own social norms and gender, affects the way they learn a language.

Pavlenko, Aneta. Multilingualism, Second Language Learning, and Gender. Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter, 2001. Print.

Pavlenko's book covers the different theories associated with language and gender with a feminist post-structuralist framework. It will lay the ground work for my paper, giving me a more specific approach to gender and language acquisition and provide an in depth explanation of how gender and intercultural communication can affect acquisition. It will also give me an insight into the pedagogy concerning gender and language acquisition and how to approach those kinds of difficult situations.