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Styling the worker: Gender and the commodification of language in the globalized service economy
Author(s) -
Cameron Deborah
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of sociolinguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1467-9841
pISSN - 1360-6441
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9481.00119
Subject(s) - commodification , style (visual arts) , globalization , service (business) , relation (database) , linguistics , sociology , psychology , business , economy , marketing , economics , history , market economy , computer science , philosophy , archaeology , database
This paper discusses some sociolinguistic characteristics of the speech style prescribed to workers for interacting with customers in service contexts, focusing in particular on the linguistic and vocal ‘styling’ prescribed for operators in telephone call centres in the U.K. Attention is drawn to the similarities between the preferred style of speech and what is popularly thought of as ‘women's language’. The intensive regulation of service workers' speech and the valorization of ‘feminine’ communication styles are analysed in relation to changes occurring as a consequence of economic globalization.