Discuss the idea that men and women use language differently - two different answers

Discuss the idea that men and women use language differently
Answer 1:

The idea that men and women use language differently is a very controversial and ever-growing topic. Many linguist experts – for example the women who came up with the three Ds model (dominance, deficit, difference) – have launched studies into language and gender in an attempt to try and find out if women and men really do speak differently and whether that is due to society or biology. However, all the results are different suggesting that the answer to whether men and women use language differently is not definitive.

Table 1 is a table that shows how many times men and women speak and interrupt during a meeting. It shows that, in this particular meeting, the women spoke less than the men did and for less time. The man who spoke the least (Man E – 11.3 turns) still spoke more than three of the women did (women A, B and C). This suggests that women don’t speak as much as men do. Robin Lakoff’s deficit model would support this. Lakoff believes that, due to our patriarchal society, women’s language is deficient to men’s. One of the key features of female language she identified was that women don’t speak as much, as proved by the table. This would suggest that men and women do use language differently as men use it more frequently.

However, external factors do need to be considered. Woman C (who only spoke for an average of 3.0 seconds per turn) could have potentially been a timekeeper or secretary. Man F (Who spoke for 17.1 seconds per turn) could have been the boss. This means that the data would have been affected by the role each person was playing, regardless of their gender. This would be supported by Janet Hyde (2005) who believes that there are more similarities than differences between male and female language and that the differences that do exist are a result of other external factors, such as; ethnicity, location or politics. This implies that differences that do arise from male and female lexis are a side effect of context and not gender. This suggests that language does not change as a result of someone being a male or someone being a female.

In contrast, Table 1 shows that there was a stark difference between how often males interrupted and how often females interrupted. The man who interrupted the most (Man F – 8.0 times) interrupted four times as much as the woman who interrupted the most (Woman D – 2.0 times). This suggests males use their lexis in a more aggressive, competitive way than women do. Deborah Tannen, the creator of the difference model, would support this. Tannen theorises that there are certain subtexts in which male and female language is just naturally different, for example; competition vs. compromise. This is the ideas that males use language to compete with one another whilst females use it to maintain relationships or alliances that will help them achieve their agenda. This is shown in the table as, not only did the men interrupt the women, they also interrupted each other. Man F interrupted the most but was interrupted the second most and this couldn’t have all been by the women as the women interrupted significantly less times. This conveys that the men were much more likely to interrupt and therefore male and female language can be different as males are more competitive.

Within Table 1, there are 4 women and 5 men; this is not surprising as men often outnumber women in boardrooms. When Dr Judith Baxter (linguistics expert) studied this she came up with the theory of ‘double voice discourse’ or ‘DvD’. DvD is what a woman uses when she feels outnumbered. It involves constant apologising, self-deprecating humour and reluctance to show an opinion. This suggests male and female language is different but only situations in which a female feels more cornered or alone. Baxter proved this by saying women in meetings were four times more likely to use DvD than men, but she also gave an example of a woman who did not use it at all because she was not outnumbered – Karren Brady. Brady is a very famous, powerful lady who works with both males and females and therefore does not have to adapt her lexis to be heard by her colleagues or to remain in power. This shows that differences between male and female language are potentially only a result of male-dominated boardrooms or ‘manels’ and that men and women don’t naturally use language differently.

The third part of the three Ds model was created by Pamela Fishman. Fishman created the dominance model when her studies led her to find that women are four times more likely to use tag questions and try to initiate a conversation than men. This shows that females try to dominate any conversation they have with males. However, Fishman also labelled this as the ‘conversational shitwork’ and state that males were also asserting dominance, but by staying quiet. This way the male was making the female do all the work and put in all the effort to maintain the conversation whilst still getting the same result out of it. This would be supported by Lakoff who also identified tag questions (do you? won’t you?) and conversation fillers as features of female language. This suggests that male and female language is different because of the varying ways the genders try to dominate one another.

To conclude, the difference between male and female lexis is a very broad and controversial topic. Due to the amount of theories that people have and the amount of evidence that falls on both sides of the spectrum, it may be impossible to identify whether males and females really do speak differently or if there are external factors (for example a patriarchal society) that influence everything people say. Each theory may be correct in some situations (e.g. an all-male conversation or a mixed conversation etc.) but incorrect in others. This implies that there is no definitive answer to whether language is affected by gender and that people can only make educated assumptions based off of studies and opinion.



Answer 2:

Discuss the idea that men and women use language differently

The difference between male and female lexis has been a widely-discussed topic by language experts for years. A huge example of this is the 3 Ds model – difference, deficit and dominance – conducted by three female linguist experts who studied female language. There is evidence to suggest that this model is accurate and that men and women do speak differently but others think that they do not and society only makes us think we do.

Men and women are thought to use language differently when trying to be heard in meetings. Dr Judith Baxter, linguistics expert, states that women can revert to using what she describes as ‘double voice discourse’. This is what happens when a woman feels she is outnumbered by men as there are less women present, this is supported by the data on the table as it shows there were more men than women present in the staff meeting. Baxter states that ‘double voice discourse’ is a woman’s method of attempting to avoid confrontation by using humour and self-deprecating lexis that makes her come across as less confident and challenging. This is supported by Deborah Tannen’s Difference Model that discusses conflict vs compromise – the idea that women prefer to negotiate and avoid argument whilst men are more straightforward and like to challenge someone. This is seen in the table through the way that Man F interrupted four times more than the woman who interrupted the most did – Woman D. This shows men were more likely to interrupt and therefore less afraid of confronting someone and risking an alliance/friendship. This means that men and women can use language differently in some ways as women in boardrooms use their lexis to preserve relationships that will help them to achieve their agenda whilst men prefer to be direct and straight-talking, despite the danger it can put their relationships in.

Another way men and women are thought to use language differently is through the amount they talk and apologise. The table shows that the man who spoke the least (man E) still spoke more than three of the women (women A,B and C), suggesting that woman feel less inclined to talk in the boardroom or are not given the chance to. This is supported By Robin Lakoff’s deficit model as one of the key aspects of female language she identified was that women spoke less frequently because of fear of seeming chatty or annoying. Also, Dr Baxter identified that when women do speak they are more likely to ‘speak indirectly or apologetically’ which further supports this as it is possibly a woman’s way of making up for it when they do feel they are being chatty. Apologising frequently was another one of the key features Lakoff identified when studying women’s language. However, outside factors do need to be considered; it is possible that the three women in the meeting who did not speak frequently were of a lower status than everyone else (they could have been a secretary or assistant etc.). So, it cannot just be assumed that the only reason the women were speaking less was because they naturally felt they had to use lexis differently to how the men did. This shows that men and women can use language differently through how much they talk and how much they apologise but that can change depending on the context of the situation.

A theorist who would agree with considering the context behind language is Janet Hyde. Hyde believes that there are actually more similarities than differences between male and female language and that the only differences that are there can put down to a number of different factors such as; class, age, race, sexuality, location and background etc. It is possible that Woman B, who only spoke for an average of 3 seconds per turn, could have only been in there to keep time. So, naturally she would speak less than whoever the boss was in the meeting. This would be the case regardless of the gender of the two people who played these roles. Dr Baxter also mentions Karren Brady, a powerful lady who does not ‘use the linguistic tricks’ possibly because she is not ‘greatly outnumbered by men’. This shows that women and men might not actually use different language at all; they just adapt it in certain situations (for example being outnumbered) as Brady does not need to speak in a different way to her male counterparts to be heard by her colleagues or to remain in power. This would prove Hyde’s theory to be right as the lexis is not affected by the fact that it is used by women; it is affected by the fact they are the only women in a room full of men, therefore the differences are a result of the situation and not gender.

To conclude, the differences between male and female lexis is an ever-growing and controversial topic. Due to the amount of theories that people have and the amount of evidence that falls on both sides of the spectrum, it may be impossible to identify whether males and females really do speak differently or if there are external factors that influence everything people say. Each theory may be correct in some situations and can probably apply to a number of conversations, especially when the people having them vary (e.g. an all-male conversation, a mixed conversation etc.). This means that there is no definitive answer to whether language is affected by gender and that people can only make educated assumptions based off of studies and opinion.

Prep:

Gender and Data – Exam Question

Guardian Article - https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/jun/19/women-language-boardroom-study - Women told to speak their minds to get on in boardrooms – June 2011:

·         Linguistics expert Dr Judith Baxter - undertook an 18-month study into the speaking patterns of men and women at meetings in seven major well-known companies, including two in the FTSE-100

·         Women were four times more likely than men to be self-deprecating, use humour and speak indirectly or apologetically when broaching difficult subjects with board members in order to avoid conflict

·         These traits are all in aid of avoiding conflict – can use example of Deborah Tannen as she agrees women aim to cooperate/compromise

·         ‘Baxter said such language, which the study describes as "double voice discourse" (DvD), was used because women were often heavily outnumbered on boards’

·         Context: more men than women

·         Would these traits be as apparent or obvious if there were more women in the boardroom – better to have more questions than answers in an exam question

·         Baxter is not included in textbooks – using her makes you stand out

·         Women experience a lack of power that makes it very hard to take control of the room and to be heard – Robin Lakoff

·         ‘Men tend to direct and straight talking and if they are confrontational it is regarded as nothing personal, women avoid being directly confrontational and use a range of strategies to preserve a range of alliances, if not friendships, to achieve their agenda.’

·         In some situations it is not language and gender; it is language and power – ‘Karren Brady, West Ham United FC's vice chair and star of BBC show The Apprentice, did not need to use the linguistic tricks, she had noticed.’ – she is not outnumbered, she is a person of power, the weaker participants use DvD

·         Women use hedging and fillers to avoid directly expressing opinion and to soften their words – Robin Lakoff

RADA article - https://www.radainbusiness.com/about-us/news-and-blogs/women-in-the-boardroom-what-s-holding-you-back - Women in boardrooms what’s holding you back? – November 2012

·         What’s holding you back? – pragmatically asking the reader to think – a patriarchal society and 2000 years of oppression

·         Being on the webpage would only be a result of someone telling you to be or you feeling you need to be

·         Specific audience – you’re on this webpage because you’re looking for something – teaching not writing

·         Response to – ‘By 2015 the Government recommendation is that 25% of FTSE 100 boardroom places be held by women.’ – in 2015 it was 27%, shows progress

·         Guardian used a linguistics expert, this uses a business expert

·         Trying to sell you something – ‘So with this in mind here are a few top RADA tips that will help you enhance your authority and credibility as you move up the corporate ladder.’- want you to listen and be persuaded by them

·         Madeleine Albright – woman in position of power – ‘Learn to interrupt!’ – data in question shows women interrupt less

·         ‘Speak confidently and firmly. Speak logically, not emotionally.’ – suggests female language traits are being shy and unsure

·         ‘Make statements rather than asking questions.’ – Robin Lakoff suggest women use more tag questions – contradictory to use declaratives rather than interrogatives

·         ‘Address tough issues up front’ – controversial as it suggest women don’t address tough issues despite doing the toughest thing in the world; giving birth

·         ‘Sheelagh offers one-to-one coaching which can address your general issues of communication or focus around a particular aspect of personal presence or an upcoming communication challenge’ - £500 for 2 hours, more than some people earn in a week

Question:

Factors to Consider:

·         Status – who is the boss? Who has the most power in the room? – Women C only speaks for three seconds – is she an assistant?

Observations:

1.       Man F and Man G take the most turns

2.       Man F speaks the longest

3.       Woman D talks the most out of the woman and was interrupted more than anyone else was

4.       Woman B did not interrupt at all

5.       Man F interrupted four times more than the woman who interrupted most did

6.       Woman D took a significantly larger amount of turns than all of the other women

7.       All of the men took longer turns

8.       There are more men than women

9.       The man who spoke the least still spoke more than three of the women

10.   Man F interrupted the most but was also interrupted the second most, however the women didn’t interrupt much, suggesting he was interrupted by other men