Far from one coming from Mars and the other from Venus, men and women seem to come from different states in the same country. It is obvious that they grew up in different groups, which have subtle style differences. Yet, although subtle, the language differences have judgmental consequences. Observers perceive the female and male speakers differently based on their language use. For example, female speakers are rated higher on Socio-Intellectual Status (high social status and literate) and Aesthetic Quality (nice and beautiful), while males are rated higher on Dynamism (strong and aggressive). Major language differences may not occur between genders, but they are recognized as such anyway.
References
Adams, P. et. al. (1995). "Dominance and entitlement: the rhetoric men use to discuss t heir violence towards women." Discourse and Society. 6(3): 387-406.
Canary, D.J., & Dindia, K. (eds.). (1997). Sex differences and similarities in communication. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Lakoff, R. (1975) Language and Woman's Place. New York: Harper and Row.
Eckert, P. & McConnell-Ginet, S. (1992) "Communities of practice: where language, gender, and power all live" in Kira Hall, Mary Bucholtz and Birch Moonwomon (eds), Locating Power: proceedings of the second Berkeley Women and Language Conference. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Woman and Language Group, University of...
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