In a discussion of attitudes one can differentiate not only various types of
society but also the sexes. Labov (1966) notes that women in a minority
group tend to be more language conscious and prefer the dominant language.
Girls may then be more resistant to being taught the vernacular at school
than boys. However, in a different situation girls may be the principal
bearers of the vernacular. On the island of Fohr, for example, where the
menfolk used to go to sea for a good part of the year, they became multilingual.
The women who stayed at home retained their Frisian and ensured
the continuity of the Frisian community and language. It is possible that the
boys here preferred to learn High and Low German in expectation of their
own travels in contrast to the girls who saw their futures in the narrow
confines of the village. Similarly Liebe-Harkort (1980) reports the differences
in attitudes between Navajo boys and girls. As Navajo men tend to
do traditional outdoor jobs and Navajo women do subordinate work in
offices and hospitals, girls are more proud of their English and use it more
whereas boys tend to regard a compliment on their English as an insult.