In the recent history of linguistics, there have been various approaches to analyse women’s and men’s speech. It was the goal of these studies to find out if men and women speak differently. Their speech behaviour was analysed in respect to phonology, lexical choice and usage as well as interactions between men and women in discourse. Traditionally, sociolinguists have looked at gender in discourse in connection with ethnic background, age, level of education and socio-economic status. Many theories claim that differences in language result from the male tendency to dominate women, and have seen female speech behaviour as a deviation from male speech norms. Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, has developed a different model. She claims that male-female communication is cross-cultural. Men and women may grow up in the same country, in the same society and culture, but they are members of different genders, different subcultures. Men and women talk differently: they apply different speech norms and have different expectations for their interlocutors. Misunderstandings between the sexes easily arise in discourse. In the following I will elaborate on the nature of the two different cultures, their origins, and give examples on how the gender-related cultural norms affect language. Although some of these speech-norms are apparent in western cultures, the main focus will be on Anglo-American culture.
Deborah Tannen regards men and women as belonging to two different cultures. The juxtaposition of power on the male side and solidarity on the female side is the key difference between their communities. Other differences in attitudes and values are results of this contrast. Gender is not just biological sex. In linguistics, genderlect refers to an acquired form of speech behaviour that individuals learn from early on. Children learn how to behave from parents and, more importantly, from their peers. Interaction in same-sex groups of children can explain or hint at the psychological behaviour that members of each sex develop. In the male community, power and status are important values that every man will endeavour to attain and maintain. Men perceive life in hierarchies, and continuously struggle to show or defend their status in society. In communication, too, one is always one-up or onedown. Furthermore, men value independence, their language creates distance. The female world differs in attitudes and values.
Table of Contents
1. Cross-Cultural Communication between Men and Women
Objectives and Topics
The primary aim of this work is to analyze the differences in communicative styles between men and women, framing these differences as distinct cultural phenomena rather than mere deviations from a male-dominated norm. The central research question explores how gender-specific cultural values and social structures influence language use, request strategies, and turn-taking in discourse.
- Cross-cultural model of male-female communication
- Sociolinguistic differences in attitudes toward power and solidarity
- Impact of cultural scripts on conflict and problem-solving
- Communication strategies in same-sex versus mixed-sex discourse
- The role of intimacy and independence in conversation
Excerpt from the Book
Extract 1
[Three friends, in their early twenties, talk about shared creative project in Alex’s flat.]
TIM: how long have you been thinking about it then? ((just))
SEB: well I k- I thought about it when I
SEB: was living in Archway / ((but it)) = = you know it’s ready to be done /
TIM: = yeah =
ALEX: what?
ALEX: The Fantin-Latour portrait? Sorry / ((what)) ((xx))
SEB: well yeah ((I mean)) it’s not a Fantin-
SEB: Latour / because I – I think I’m - I’m better than Fantin-Latour =
ALEX: = yeah yeah I know/
ALEX: but I mean that sort of thing /
In this all-male speaker conversation it can be observed how every participant waits for his turn to speak. There is no gap and no overlap between contributions, transitions from one speaker to the next are smooth. To achieve this the participants interpret syntactic and semantic clues to accurately predict the end of the current speaker’s turn.
In her analysis of same-sex conversation between friends, Jennifer Coates has found that all-male conversationa re characterised by lack of interruption and and lack of overlap. She concludes that “dominance moves like interruption would be inappropriate in talk whose main goal is to maintain friendship”. Men thus respect the other speaker’s turn to speak and await their turn.
Summary of Chapters
1. Cross-Cultural Communication between Men and Women: This chapter introduces the theoretical model of treating male-female communication as an interaction between two different subcultures, focusing on the dichotomy of power versus solidarity and how these values shape language use and expectations.
Keywords
Cross-cultural communication, genderlect, sociolinguistics, Deborah Tannen, solidarity, power, cultural scripts, intimacy, independence, discourse analysis, turn-taking, gender differences, communicative norms, same-sex interaction
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
The work examines how men and women utilize different communicative styles based on their membership in different subcultures, emphasizing that linguistic misunderstandings often arise from conflicting cultural expectations.
What are the central thematic fields addressed?
The study covers the social construction of gendered language, the contrasting values of hierarchy versus community, and the specific dynamics of how men and women handle problems, make requests, and manage conversation flow.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The goal is to demonstrate that gender-based speech differences are not about male superiority or female deviation, but rather reflect distinct, acquired cultural norms that lead to predictable misunderstandings in mixed-sex discourse.
Which scientific approach is utilized?
The author employs sociolinguistic analysis, utilizing the "natural semantic metalanguage" and "cultural scripts" to deconstruct the underlying intentions and expectations behind gender-specific conversational strategies.
What specific topics are analyzed in the main body?
The text focuses on three main areas: responses to personal problems, the use of indirect versus direct requests, and the mechanics of turn-taking in same-sex friendships.
Which keywords best characterize the paper?
Key terms include genderlect, cross-cultural communication, solidarity, power, cultural scripts, and collaborative versus hierarchical discourse.
How do men and women differ in their reaction to problems?
Men often view communication as a hierarchy and respond by distancing themselves or offering solutions, whereas women prioritize solidarity and seek to establish connection by showing mutual understanding and sharing similar experiences.
Why do men and women often struggle with request strategies?
Women tend to use suggestions (e.g., "let's") to maintain group harmony, while men often interpret these as implied orders, which triggers resistance because men prioritize maintaining their independence and autonomy.
What does the term "collaborative floor" mean in this context?
It refers to a conversational style, typically observed in all-female groups, where participants speak simultaneously, overlap, and construct sentences together to emphasize shared experience rather than individual dominance.
- Citation du texte
- Nadine Marik (Auteur), 2006, Cross-Cultural Communication between Men and Women, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/66548
