Introduction
An analysis of the conversation between men and women reveals the extraordinary complexity of their social relationships. Sociolinguistics examines the dynamics of relations between men and women through the prism of the language of their communication. Men and women often understand each other inaccurately during communication. This article discusses some gender patterns in the relationship between men and women of different ages, including their conversational communication.
Gender Patterns in Relationships
Language reflects and perpetuates the relationship between men and women. What is the first thing which men and women search for in conversation? Deborah Tannen explores discourses as varied as preschool and school disputes, romantic teasing of teenage girls, and competition in teenage ‘girl talk’ (416). A study at the school level shows that the main thing in boys’ communication is some kind of activity – hobbies, sports, driving a car. Girls, on the other hand, communicate with other girls on an emotional level – they usually sit and tell each other their secrets.
Another example is a boy showing his sympathy for a girl by pulling her hair: while boys find it fun, girls usually don’t. Men and women also use communication skills differently – when it comes to men, they talk more when they sit next to a woman (Tannen 220). For men, talking is a way to maintain their independence. Men tend to respond more to arguments, debates, and verbal challenges. Women, on the other hand, use dialogue to negotiate intimacy; conversation for them is the essence of intimacy, so being best friends means sitting down and talking.
Conclusion
Thus, we can conclude that the influence of gender on the language of communication is a proven fact. However, the internal content, mentality, national traits, and social status of each individual, regardless of gender, also significantly impact the relationship between the sexes, including the language of communication. The above studies emphasize that the issues of gender relations must be considered from linguistic, sociological, ethnic, medical, and other perspectives.
Works Cited
Tannen, Deborah. “I’ll Explain it to You: Lecturing and Listening.” Exploring Language, vol. 1, no. 1, 1995, pp. 415-428.
Tannen, Deborah. “Ethnic Style in Male-Female Conversation”, Language and Social Identities, vol. 1, no. 2, 1982, pp. 217-231.