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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Street Remarks, Address Rights and the Urban Female: Socio-Linguistic Politics of Gender in Harare
Author:Mashiri, PedzisaiISNI
Year:2000
Periodical:Zambezia
Volume:27
Issue:1
Pages:55-70
Language:English
Notes:biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:Zimbabwe
Southern Africa
Subjects:communication
gender relations
indigenous languages
Women's Issues
Urbanization and Migration
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Bibliography/Research
Cultural Roles
urbanization
language
linguistics
women's rights
Harare (Zimbabwe)
External link:https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/AJA03790622_612
Abstract:Based largely on speech recordings of natural communication observed in the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, this article discusses the sociolinguistic and cultural features of remarks that take place between unacquainted men and women. It seems that women receive more, and more vigorous, markers of public passage than men, and that they are less frequently the originators of such communicative markers. The author describes the linguistic and communicative characteristics of street remarks, the identities of the addressers and addressees, women's responses to the remarks and the implications of street remarks. The author argues that the markers are purposeful or intentional and are motivated by linguistic, sociocultural and historical gender stereotypes and ideological constructs. Women are generally regarded as 'open persons' and their appearance as a ready resource for public comment. Most of the remarks focus on the women's attire, stature and (presupposed) behaviour. Depending on the social class of the male speaker (working class, street teenager, student, middle class or professional), the setting, the perceived personality of the addressee and the addressee's response, the remarks range from general teasing to coarse verbal taboos. Because of their occurrence between the unacquainted, the unpredictability of the consequences ensuing from the interaction and their abusive nature or potential, street remarks can be classified as a form of verbal abuse. Bibliogr., sum.
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