uage is concerned. Typically, to the degree the research shows linguistic praxis as a function or attribute of social structure, it contains elements of social criticism; we have just seen an example of this in Greer's statement. To the degree the research reflects linguistic praxis as an explanation or analysis of social arrangements or attitudes, the element of social criticism seems less prominent. In this regard, Cameron and Coates describe and critically evaluate three prevalent sociolinguistic theories of why women deviate less than men from the so-called "prestige standard" of language behavior. The three explanations are that women are more socially conservative than men; that they sense the social implications of speech behavior more strongly than men do; and that they are not subject to the pressure of adopting the vernacular. Cameron and Coates say that sociolinguists do not take sufficient account of the social content of women's language behavior and that they adopt the theories of sociological constructs too readily, as well as the
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