The 3Ds

3 theorists: Jennifer Coates, Deborah Tannen and Robin Lakoff thought of 3 factors in which langauge and gender is effected by:
Difference - Deborah Tannen (1989)

• Sees women as belong to different 'sub-cultures' 
• Women are differently socialised from childhood onwards
•  Women are naturally more timid and shy when it comes to being in conversation
• 'The desire to affirm that women are equal has made some scholars reluctant to show that they are different. There are gender differences in ways of speaking, and we need to identify and understand them'

Dominance - Jennifer Coates (1993)

• Women are the oppressed group
• Men are the dominant gender and women subordinate more
• We live in a patriarchal society
• Males dominate the world and positions of power and authority
• Women try to avoid conflict and hurting feelings

 Deficit - Robin Lakoff (1975)

• Male language is more powerful, more prestigious and more desirable
•  Women speak less frequently 
• Women use hedges ('sort of', 'kind of')
• Super polite forms
• Apologise more frequently
• Use tag questions
• Lakoff admits 'It is my impression, though I do not have precise statistical evidence'