1.0 Introduction

In this article, I contrast Second and Third Wave feminist linguistics, broadly speaking, Second Wave feminism focusing on the language of women as a subordinated group and Third Wave feminism challenging the homogeneity of women as a group and focusing instead on localised studies. [1]   I  challenge the notion that these forms of analysis are simply chronological so that Third Wave feminism supersedes and supplants Second Wave feminism; rather I argue that Third Wave feminism is best seen as a development from Second Wave feminism which nevertheless depends on the basic framework of Second Wave feminism for its theoretical integrity. [2] In order to contrast the way in which these two approaches work and to demonstrate that each tendency can be put to work in particular contexts, I examine the way the difficulties which each approach finds with the analysis of sexism.