Exploring Gender-Based Argumentative Speaking Strategies in Bridgerton and Audience Assumptions about Gendered Speech

Sammanfattning

In recent years, an increasing number of studies have explored argumentative discourse and gendered communication in television programs, particularly in reality TV and in talk shows. However, there is still limited research on how gender stereotypes are perceived and constructed in scripted television. The purpose of this study is to identify gender stereotypes in argumentative talk in the TV series Bridgerton. This study also aims to explore the differences in argumentative strategies between male and female characters and to examine whether these strategies reinforce or challenge stereotypes. The study is based on approximately nine hours of material from season 2 of Bridgerton and a questionnaire completed by 36 participants. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, the results showed that both main characters in Bridgerton reinforce and challenge stereotypes of their era across textual (e.g., direct language and modal verbs), discursive (e.g., turn-taking) and social (e.g., reinforcing and challenging patriarchal norms) levels. Furthermore, the questionnaire reveals that the participants relied on their own gender stereotypes when attributing dialogue to the speakers, often linked to authority and dominance to male speakers and emotional resistance to female speakers. This study contributes to the language and communication field by demonstrating how scripted media both challenges and reinforces gender stereotypes, while also underlining how audiences in a modern society interpret these patterns.