How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #1
I want to thank the Mills College Class of '83 for offering me a rare chance: to speak aloud in public in the language of women. (1)
Somewhere, sitting alone in a room filled with ancient computers and monitors, there was a lone man sitting at the controls doing a spit-take and exclaiming, "Oh @#%*! We let one get through!"
Quote #2
There is a Greek tragedy where the Greek says to the foreigner, "If you don't understand Greek, please signify by nodding." (3)
We thought this was a really interesting parable. There's no winning, here: the guy might nod because he doesn't understand Greek, (in which case, how does he know to nod??) or he might nod because he doesn't understand they're telling him to nod, it's just a natural gesture of confusion. It's a real head-scratcher, but it certainly highlights the importance of proper communication skills.
Quote #3
Public speaking is done in the public tongue, the national or tribal language; and the language of our tribe is the men's language. Of course women learn it. We're not dumb. If you can tell Margaret Thatcher from Ronald Reagan, or Indira Gandhi from General Somoza, by anything they say, tell me how. This is a man's world, so it talks a man's language. (7-11)
Other than knowing context, can you tell the gender of public speakers based on their words alone? And, according to Le Guin, how would you then classify their words as masculine ones?