Saturday, June 26, 2010

Week 3:2 Men and Women Use of Language

Men and women use language differently in the way they communicate. Women are more likely to encourage conversation. Women like to talk and create intimate relationships through communication. It is comforting to talk to another person. Women like to discuss things in detail and can talk for hours about random topics. Men, on the other hand, when in a one-on-one talk will typically respond with short and exact answers. Some men like to tell jokes and be the focus of the conversation. Other men don't like to waste their time on small talk, they will discuss important matters and get to the point when initiating a conversation. When in a group setting, men normally will dominate conversations, while women spend more time as listeners. However, if it is a group of all women, no one person seems to dominate the conversation. As women can communicate with multiple people and have intimate conversations with several women at one time.
It is very interesting to consider the different meanings men and women have for the words they use. Certain expressions women use, would never be repeated by a man. As the text states, research on gender differences in communication found women syntax differs from men. Women use more qualifiers, disclaimers, and tag questions. These allow women to make polite conversation, by not offending another intentionally. But sometimes, disclaimers will follow insults or negative statements, so even though the words are coming out in polite terms it is not necessarily meant that way or taken that way.

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