Male and Female Styles of Conversation

Male and Female Styles of Conversation

All human beings , regardless of gender , posses a basic need for communication as a form of expression . Sex plays an important role in conversation . Over the years , the difference between women and men with respect to language and conversation has constituted a of intense discussion . Most literature materials touching on the issue focus on two primary theories . The first one is the dominance approach which posits that the distinguishing element between the two genders is the result of female subordination and corresponding male domination . Women come

off as a minority of suppressed individuals . The other focus is the difference approach , premised on the belief that women and women are elements of different cultures , so that linguistic and conversational differences are the result of dissimilar cultures (Stewart 2008 Rapport vs . Report

According to Deborah Tannen , a linguistics professor as well as writer of the book , You Just Don 't Understand , the driving force , or focus behind communication differs from women to men . For men , the focus lies in avoiding failure and achieving creation social standing . Women on the other hand , aim at eschewing social isolation and achieving strong meaningful personal connections with others . Men seem to have a need to report information as women desire rapport . Elucidating these aspects further , women look for intimacy in the conversations they hold in a bid to create the said connections . Contrast this with the situation where men want to offer information without creating any dependence on the...