The differences in language use and attitude towards language between men and women in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The topic of gender differences has attracted considerable critical attention from linguists because of the importance that sociolinguistics offers to the complex relationship between language and gender. Gender separation in the social setting could be a significant factor in the disparities in language use between men and women. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the relationship between language and gender in Saudi Arabia, a gender-segregated society. This involves determining if the male and female students differ in their language use and attitudes towards Saudi Arabic varieties. To provide the conceptual basis for the research, a review of studies on the relationship between language and gender is constructed. Considering the above-mentioned aims, an integrated methodology based on a mixed methods design that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative techniques is adopted. The findings reveal that there are gender-based variations among adolescents in the use of Saudi Arabic varieties. Female adolescents demonstrate a more positive attitude towards using Saudi youth language compared to their male counterparts, which differs from what is extracted from the theoretical principles of this research for women’s speech features. The study concludes by providing a framework that determines the gender-preferential linguistic choices, which includes all influential factors on students’ attitude towards Saudi Arabic varieties. This adds valuable information to related studies. Considering all findings, the study recommends that the social evolution and the importance given to religion must be taken into account when investigating the relationship between language and gender. Furthermore, because of significant changes in women's status in Saudi Arabia, frequent qualitative observations of language practice are required to obtain a more accurate picture of language behaviour.