The Ladylike Language of Letters

This article from the Lingua Obscura column on JSTOR Daily focuses on how women's letters have helped to evolve language. The Ladylike Language of Letters lays out a timeline of communication by women that can trace various quirks of language to origins in letters. The author, Chi Luu, also explores the changing status of the letter, from public to private document and how that helped shift the way in which we write our letters today.

"In effect, women, going about their daily duties, invented the modern personal letter as we know it.

This is not to discount the many significant, delightful, affecting letters written by men who may have had more worldly subjects to talk about. But Daybell and others note that the letter developed a more personal, private and introspective form because of the ways women were writing letters, using informal styles that were conversational and spontaneous, more like speech. This was different from the structured styles of the past and was one of the major linguistic contributions women made to the epistolary genre."

I encourage anyone interested in history, language, and/or letters to read this piece. Heck, that whole column is pretty fascinating. Thanks to member Jessica N. for sending me this link!