An introduction to theories about language in attempts to understand and transform women's lives. This evolving body of work encompasses linguistics, anthropology, literary and cultural theory, psychoanalysis and postmodern philosophy.

Preface to the Revised Edition - Introduction: Language and Feminism - Linguistic Theory: Frameworks and Approaches - The Politics of Variation: Sex Differences in Language (1) - Sex Differences in Language (2): Empirical Sociolinguistics - False Dichotomies: Grammar and Sexual Polarity - Making Changes: The Debate on Sexist Language - Silence, Alienation and Oppression: Feminist Models of Language (1) - Feminist Models of Language (2): Semiology, Postmodernism and the Debate on the Gendered Subject - Beyond Alienation: An Integrational Approach to Women and Language - Conclusion: Problems and Practices - Notes - Bibliography - Glossary - Index