...Different speech styles of Men and women Have you ever heard this proverb: Women’s tongues are like lamb’s tails-they are never still? The different speech styles by men and women causes a violent controversy in this present-day society. By thinking about women and men’s different language style, in retrospect, some people claim that women and men have obvious differences in conversation style. In her essay “Women Talk Too Much,” Jonet Holmes argues that to dominate talking depends on many different factors, including the social context in which the talk is taking place, relative social confidence and perception (299-304). By contrast, Ronald Macaulay declares his statement in his article “Sex Difference” that language use and development as a result of the social environment have a great impact on the talking between women and men, not the sex differences in language (307-313). It is explicit that both Holmes and Macaulay express their personal perspectives about the similar purpose of talking, the dissimilar factors of language development and the perception of language that could affect their conversational style. In Holmes’ article, she told about the purpose of talking in public between man and women, “Formal public talk is often aimed at information people or persuading them to agree to a particular point of view” (301). She agrees that public talk is often undertaken by those who emphasize their degrees of public status. In addition, when the men have an effective talk...
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...for a word”. It is commonly believed that women talk more than men. Moreover, some researchers argue that there is a significant difference in a way how men and women communicate. One group of scientists insists that differences in men’s and women’s speech prove a controversial idea that “Women's American English” exists. On the contrary, others assert that the reason why males and females tend to use certain words and phrases is caused by social factors. They believe that society has different expectations from men and women relating to their social statuses, family roles and job preferences which may influence women's linguistic behaviour. The difference in communication styles of males and females doesn't prove the existence of women's language; on the opposite, it shows that women have found the most convenient way to express themselves in the mainly male-dominant society. The entire literature review will investigate how social norms and expectations have influenced women's speech and whether there is discrimination on the basis of gender in speech. It will be organized using a thematic style of presentation. First of all, it will be shown whether there are differences in usage of linguistic forms, such as vocabulary, syntax and tone, between males and females. And then, the concept of report and rapport talk in women's and men's speech will be examined. There is no reason to deny that men and women tend to use somewhat different linguistic forms. However, it doesn't prove...
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...for a word”. It is commonly believed that women talk more than men. Moreover, some researchers argue that there is a significant difference in a way how men and women communicate. One group of scientists insists that differences in men’s and women’s speech prove a controversial idea that “Women's American English” exists. On the contrary, others assert that the reason why males and females tend to use certain words and phrases is caused by social factors. They believe that society has different expectations from men and women relating to their social statuses, family roles and job preferences which may influence women's linguistic behaviour. The difference in communication styles of males and females doesn't prove the existence of women's language; on the opposite, it shows that women have found the most convenient way to express themselves in the mainly male-dominant society. The entire literature review will investigate how social norms and expectations have influenced women's speech and whether there is discrimination on the basis of gender in speech. It will be organized using a thematic style of presentation. First of all, it will be shown whether there are differences in usage of linguistic forms, such as vocabulary, syntax and tone, between males and females. And then, the concept of report and rapport talk in women's and men's speech will be examined. There is no reason to deny that men and women tend to use somewhat different linguistic forms. However, it doesn't prove...
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...a lot has been talked about the matter of communication between the two sexes. Do men and women speak differently, or do they speak alike? Do men speak to command attention and authority? Are women more likely to speak in a more deferential tone? Are there any notable differences in the speaking styles of women and men? In antiquity, the answer was a simple and fascinating ‘yes’. In his essay “Sex Differences”, Ronald Macaulay believes there is no differences as such that affects language acquisition, although social factors interfere in the way they both talk. In contrast, Janet Holmes expresses in her essay “Women talk too much” that language is biased because it is men who have positions of power and seek authority, who judges when talk is too much, when its appropriate, and that women assert themselves less when speech is more valued. As we progress, we shall examine more closely their positions and expose the nature of their claims. In fact, the use and style in language has no bearing on one’s gender. The way one communicates with others has much to do with personal life experiences, self-image, and the overall make up of our personality and character. According to Macaulay, women are more straightforward and use the language in a simpler manner while men tend to be more creative. First of all, men are associated with toughness and aggression, sometimes boldness whereas women are associated with sweetness, being innocent, shy and loyal. These talks are not to...
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...it’s safe to say that men and women are different in so many ways. We act differently, look different and we communicate differently. These differences can cause conflicts from time to time which often lead to misunderstandings. For communication between men and women to be effective, we must recognize the differences between male and female communication styles. In this paper, I will be discussing the different communication styles between men and women and how these differences play a major role in the workplace. According to Anne Meier (1999, pp. 115-119), “There exist numerous stereotypes in the way men and women communicate”. We will first begin with the most common form of communication….talking. “One of the most common notions is that women talk more than men. Women are also thought to participate in "empty talk," dealing with trivial and unimportant matters. While women's speech is believed to be unassertive and lacking in power, men's speech is viewed as bold and aggressive. Men and women typically talk about different things. In general, women talk more about their feelings than men do, regardless of to whom they are speaking. Women, in conversation with women, discuss personal matters, relationships, family, health and reproduction. Men discuss music, current events, sports, business and other men. Men control the topic of conversation, and may use abrupt and direct methods to do so, especially in dyads with women. More than men, women use linguistic forms which...
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...it’s safe to say that men and women are different in so many ways. We act differently, look different and we communicate differently. These differences can cause conflicts from time to time which often lead to misunderstandings. For communication between men and women to be effective, we must recognize the differences between male and female communication styles. In this paper, I will be discussing the different communication styles between men and women and how these differences play a major role in the workplace. According to Anne Meier (1999, pp. 115-119), “There exist numerous stereotypes in the way men and women communicate”. We will first begin with the most common form of communication….talking. “One of the most common notions is that women talk more than men. Women are also thought to participate in "empty talk," dealing with trivial and unimportant matters. While women's speech is believed to be unassertive and lacking in power, men's speech is viewed as bold and aggressive. Men and women typically talk about different things. In general, women talk more about their feelings than men do, regardless of to whom they are speaking. Women, in conversation with women, discuss personal matters, relationships, family, health and reproduction. Men discuss music, current events, sports, business and other men. Men control the topic of conversation, and may use abrupt and direct methods to do so, especially in dyads with women. More than men, women use linguistic forms which...
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...already knew that men and women spoke the same form of English. Although, if I had been raised in a different time I can see how I may have been tricked into believing otherwise. In current literature women are portrayed as being intelligent and independent. Even novels I grew up with as a kid had leading characters that were intelligent and in depth women, such as Nancy Drew. But if I had been raised in a different time I would have only read novels about intelligent, ground breaking men, while the women were stuck at home to be a house wife, or stay at home mom. Macaulay uses examples of the way authors present a woman speaking as opposed to a man. Before a quote from a woman was written, around the quotation marks it would say “asked innocently”, “said loyally”, “whispered”, or “offered humbly”. But around a man’s quotations marks it would say “said challengingly”, “demanded aggressively”, “urged”, or “exclaimed contemptuously”. I agree strongly with Macaulay when he states that “No doubt the novelists intended to be realistic in describing two very different styles of speech, but in doing so, they also reinforce the stereotypes of men and women.” Of course I would interpret women to be nurturing if everything they said was prefaced with something like “asked innocently”. I would not see a woman’s use of the English language to be harsh, or confident. I liked the use of logos that Macaulay uses when speaking about the actual differences between men and women. I think that although...
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...chapter outline The ImporTance of Verbal communIcaTIon Language and Perception Language and Power Power and Words Power and Accent Power and Identity Labels WhaT Is Verbal communIcaTIon? Functions of Language Components of Language Influences on Verbal communIcaTIon Gender Age Regionality Ethnicity and Race Education and Occupation eThIcs and Verbal communIcaTIon Hate Speech Confirming and Disconfirming Communication ImproVIng your Verbal communIcaTIon skIlls “I” Statements Become Aware of the Power of Language The IndIVIdual, Verbal communIcaTIon, and socIeTy 88 “ The verbal elements of communication are the foundation on which meaning is created. When I took a trip to Britain, I thought people would speak with a “British accent.” I didn’t realize that there are many different accents and the differences are not just pronunciation, but also vocabulary. In order to get my message across, I learned to avoid using slang words as much as I could. I didn’t realize how much American slang I use in my everyday speech! Despite the many different ways of speaking English across the UK, I felt the way that I speak English made me stick out as an American. W hen we think of “communication,” we tend to think about the verbal elements of communication: the words people choose, the accents they speak with, and the meanings they convey through language. We frequently don’t consider the ways in which verbal communication assists...
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...outline of the different attitudes to the situation of African Americans presented in text 1, 2 and 3. Outline of text 1: Text 1 is a commentary publicist on USA Today website on August 14, 2009, and it is written by lawyer and columnist Yolanda Young. Yolanda Young’s main statement is that there has been a paradigm shift in the culture and that Africa American women now are being noticed. In her commentary she comperes her own experiences of being a black woman before and after the election of Barak Obama. To support her main statement she uses facts from different researches. In the end of the text she concludes that it has become easier to maintain a positive self-image now that such a beautiful women live in the White House. Outline of text 2: Text 2 is an excerpt form a Speech given by Attorney General Eric Holder on February 18, 2009 at the U.S Justice Department. The speech is to be found on the website of the Justice Department. Eric Holder’s main statement is that “One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation”. He thinks that to many Americans see race as a taboo, and that you cannot solve the problem if you do not feel at ease with it. In the speech Eric Holder refers to two historical events, one of them being the Gettysburg Address. He says that the people in this room have a moral obligation to the nation and most live up to the Gettysburg Address. In the end of his speech he talks about...
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...Sojourner Truth’s speech is about the plight of both women and black slaves and how they intersect with black women. Sojourner Truth makes statements regarding the womens rights movement and the slave rights movement and effectively joins the two movements. Sojourner Truth was a black woman who gave this speech at a women’s convention in 1851. She uses the repetition of “And ain’t I a woman?”, which is meant to draw attention to her being a woman and black. She uses this to bridge slave rights and womens rights because she is in fact, both a woman and a black slave. She lists off all the things that people say women should have done for them, and then calls it all out because she has not had any of these things done for her, even though she...
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...LANGUAGE AND GENDER 1. Introduction Women speak because they wish to speak, whereas a man speaks only when driven to speech by something outside himself--like, for instance, he can't find any clean socks. (Jean Kerr) Do men and women speak differently? Can Language be sexist? Is there vocabulary that is more typical for women than for men? My term paper shall try to answer those questions, look at typical forms of language use in relation to gender and I will aim to find possible reasons that explain a gender-based difference. But first it is important to explain why in sociolinguistics the term gender is used rather than sex. While sex refers to biological characteristics, gender is “a social category that is connected to the roles of women and men in society” (Becker & Bieswanger 2010: 185). My term paper will start with some general definitions about gender and language like gender-exclusive speech difference, gender-preferential speech features and gender and class. I will focus especially on women´s linguistic behaviour and answer questions like “Do women talk more than men?”. I will try to find explanations for a different linguistic behaviour. After focusing on explanations for a possible different use of language I will finally give features of women´s language that will make differences obvious. At the end of my paper I will also try to explain what is meant by a “sexism in language” and whether or not English is a sexist language and what could be done...
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...Thinking from women’s lives. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Kramarae, C. (1981). Women and men speaking. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. Tannen, D. (1990). You just don’t understand. New York: Ballantine. Genderlect Theory – Deborah Tannen Tannen believes that the best way to describe communication between the genders is in a cross-cultural format. Women use rapport talk to establish meaningful connection with others, while men use report talk to gain status in relation to others. Because women and men use language differently, Tannen suggests they are speaking different dialects, or genderlects. The goal of genderlect theory is to acknowledge and appreciate the language of the opposite sex and achieve mutual respect and understanding. (Semiotic and socio-cultural traditions) Genderlect theory is evaluated on the back of this page. |Tenet |Clarification | | | | |Why We Communicate: Women seek connection, men seek status. |Women engage in communication to build and maintain relationships with | | |others. By contrast, men are more likely to engage in talk only when it| | ...
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...communication, specific business interests, constraints and audiences”. Therefore, every aspect of our life is influenced. After decades we are encouraged to perceive differences between men and women as being more significant than they are, primarily since society wants us to. Today, gender is still stereotypical, men are the dominant,...
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...I.Title: He’s Just Not That Into You – A Study On Misinterpreted Signals In Relationships II. Research Objectives: 1) To identify the differences in the communication style between men and women. 2) To help men and women understand the other’s non-verbal signals in a more profound way. 3) To reduce misunderstandings between couples by helping them read the signals given by the other. III. Research Questions: 1) How does the communication style differ between men and female? 2) How can men and women understand each other’s non-verbal signals? 3) How can men and women reduce misunderstandings that stem from misinterpreting signals? Problem Statement Why is it important to understand the differences in non-verbal communication between men and women. IV. Methodology: The methodology chosen for this research is qualitative. This research will be based on the movie He’s Just Not That Into You, directed by Ken Kwapis that depicts the inter-connecting stories of various couples that go through many conflicts due to misinterpreted signals. A movie analysis will be conducted to study each character, their style of communication, their dialogs, and their non-verbal communication. I will also study how the person they are communicating with interprets the message and how the misinterpretation of a message causes conflicts among the characters. V. Limitations: ...
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...between men and women can be considered cross-cultural communication. People in different cultures speak different dialects. Before clarifying some distinctives in gender communication, several basic assumptions must be accepted. 1. Men and women do have different conversational styles. 2. Both styles of communication are equally valid. 3. The goal in gender communication is not change the style of communication but to adapt to the differences. Gender Communication in Business Communication is necessary in all aspects of human endeavor. The subject of gender communication is not new, we all know that there are differences in the way women and men communicate. And these differences are shown in the work place as well. This phenomenon does not deal with the thing that men and women are equal. It is different from that. The concept I’m telling about the perception of men and women for the same situation would be different because they both have different communication style. Research says that “Starting in childhood, girls and boys are generally socialized to belong to distinct cultures and thus, speak in ways particular to their own gender’s rules and norms” (Johnson, 2000; Tannen 1986, 1990, 1995.) This pattern of gendered socialization continues throughout our lives. As a result, men and women often interpret the same conversation differently. Culturally diverse ways of speaking can cause miscommunication between members of each culture or speech community...
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