Gender differences in linguistic patterns and conversational speech

Language and Gender

Women's Words Relate to Specific Interests

Women Use Adjectives of Approval

Women Use Weak Expletives

Using Tag

The world balks at the idea of gender discrimination, but the fact remains that gender differences are biological and there is no other way to deal with gender issues than to address them openly and seek better understanding.

As far as the linguistic capacity and the nature and cadence of conversations are concerned, women and men have been found to have various differences. Acknowledging these and working with them can allow better communication between the two genders so that the ubiquitous issue of men saying "we can't understand women' and women saying that 'men don't listen' can be alleviated.

Researchers in linguistics and speech patterns have tried to specify particular features that are different in the conversation mannerisms of women and men. Moreover, women talk differently in the company of men as compared to there being all women in the conversation. In fact some topics which are openly discussed among females are considered taboo even if they are alluded to in a conversation with males. The four specific speech patterns that I will be focusing on as part of this discussion are as detailed in the following paragraphs.

Women's Words Relate to Specific Interests

When women talk, they have particular interests in mind and the words they use may be more descriptive than deemed necessary by men conducting the same conversation. The example that can be given here in terms of clothing are Fuchsia instead of bright pink, or the various terms and words seed to describe different cuts and styles of clothes. Moreover they tend to be more abstract in their word use, which can turn to flowery language considering the women are interested in latest fashion trends, accessories and clothing, salon choice, body treatments and the likes. These items are part of their everyday life and therefore when they are in the company of other women; such topics tend to surface and appear to have no end to them for the outside observers. In a similar line, when women are present, they tend to discuss relationships more than ideas, business or current affairs that generally tend to be the top most priority for men. It would be rare to see two women, in informal environment discussing sports or business. That is how the perceive each other to be, the softer human side, and as their interests are generally in the same categories as mentioned above, women focus on relationships.

Women Use Adjectives of Approval

Adjective of approval are considered to be descriptors that have little meaning but women, with their tendency to be more expressive and to have more empathy for others use these lot. These empty words add some emotion or zeal to the expression of speech, but its use has become so popular with women that it has become a differentiating feature of speech for both genders.

In fact it has become a label for women's manner of speech, so that men who use it are ridiculed for it. Some of the examples of these adjectives include 'adorable' 'charming' or 'sweet' that somehow softens up the speech without adding anything of substance into it.

Men on the other hand are more direct in their speech patterns and do not use as many compliments when it comes to conversations. Women on the other hand use them to fully express their meaning and to enhance their compliments as they are more concerned with their social image.

Using Tag Questions

The stereotypes that have been developed since earlier times are difficult to eliminate. Even if there is much rhetoric to do with the presence of women on all fronts and the emergence of female leaders, women still are not as confident about their abilities as men are. And this is the reason for there being plenty of tag questions in their speech. Consider the example of the current IBM CEO Virginia Rometty who is slated to take over Samuel Johnson in the highest stead in one of the most powerful companies of the world. She said in an interview that she had been offered a lucrative job but she responded by saying that she was not sure if she could handle it, and that she needed time. When she sought her husband's counsel regarding the matter, he retorted by saying if she knew any male who would answer the way she had. That was the time that Ms. Rometty realized the power of self-confidence. This example also goes to illustrate how women tend to soften up their image, and bring their worries out into the open, while males tend to 'fake it, till they make it' and tend not to discuss personal dilemmas with any other person.

In same manner they tend to soften their strong arguments by adding tag questions that in essence seek approval from other people in order for them to gain confidence by seeking poplar support. These tag questions include 'don't you think so?' Or 'do you think I took the right step?' These tag questions are also an indication of the consideration that women give to relationships in their lives where they want everyone to be included on a decision and seek consent before moving forth by using a variety of tag questions to soften the blow of strong or categorical points in the argument.

The use of tag questions can be of crucial importance in negotiations as it can help reconcile difference, if not profoundly, but at least on a tertiary level.

Conclusion

Women are more caring and more sensitive to other people's needs and their conversation cues, which are reflected in the manner in which they talk.

Moreover, according to some researchers, the differences in speech patterns in women are to do with anthropological development over time, where women have till the middle of this century had traditional defined roles to play in the house as well as the family. It was only until the civil rights movements and other anti-discriminatory drives that women have been able to exert themselves as productive and conspicuous members of society that too have a say in the manner in which things are running in the macro environment. Therefore it is only recently that women have been economically empowered and their speech pattern reflects this. Women using fewer expletives, more adjectives of approval, more tag questions and sticking still to their traditional interests in relationships are all evident of this state of affairs.

It is my personal belief that women's speech patterns are going to evolve in accordance with their changing roles in the society and even if the linguistic expression of females and males does not converge, there will be gradual evolution so that women use more assertive language.

Even today women in top positions or in places where they are required to lead males, acquire male tendencies and speech patterns so that they are not taken for granted. A study in single sex classrooms concluded that lady teachers who taught boys got louder and stricter as boys are louder and crasser than girls. Maybe this can be a new arena for researchers to understand the effect of changing roles on language patterns of women coming into more assertive roles.