409b August 24, 2006

Gender Differences in Conversation Coherence

By: Crystal Bulda

Instructions for this activity are found at:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/g25-oral1.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

Tannen, Deborah (1996).  Gender and Discourse.  (New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press).  Reviewing pages119-136.

I.  Eckert’s Observation

            A.  Tenth-grade boys differ from the sixth-grade and tenth-grade girls.

1.   Both pairs of girls focus on the problems of one.

2.   Boys talk about own concerns and disagrees with the concerns expressed by the other in order to downplay his problems.

B.  Women express dissatisfaction with the way that men respond to their concerns.

1.   Tenth-grade boys support the suggestion that such dissatisfaction is the result of cross-cultural differences.

II. Twenty-five-year-old-men

            A.  Exhibits difficulty finding a topic.

B.   “Serious” requires a topic of general as well as personal significance; meaningful contribution.

C.  Expresses feelings indirectly, as general statements.

D.  Talk is characterized by slow pacing, formal register, and numerous hesitations.

E.   Broad and abstract rather than personal statements of their opinions.

III. Twenty-five-year-old-women

A.  Conversations cover their own relationships with each other as well as their personal life plans and choices.

B.   Much of the remaining conversation focuses on the women’s plans for the future.

C.  Vying for the distinction in the conversation.

D.  Reflects status differences.

Related Links:

www.stanford.edu/~eckert/gender.html

Language and Gender- This site contains background information on Penelope Eckert, who is the sited resource that reveals data on the tenth-grade boys and girls.  I found this site interesting to review to understand Eckert’s credibility.  Here we are able to take a look at how Eckert came to be deeply engaged with post-structural theories of language and variations. 

http://www.philo.at/mii/gpmc.dir9606/msg00217.html

Gender and Language Use- Lydie Meunier presents a debate between the role of nature and the role of nurture.  Her contention is that the socialization process undergone by males and females sets various types of preferential cognitive networks and those gender-specific psyches ultimately stem from nurture rather than nature.  The socialization process whether at home or school plays a much stronger role on shaping of cognitive styles than previously admitted.

http://i06.cgpublisher.com/proposals/451/index_html

Gender Differences in Child Discourse: The Linguistic Construction of Dominance/Equity- Dr. Marianthi Georgalidou presents a paper on the discourse of school age children.  The research analyzes the essentialization and universalization of sex-based differences.  Here he takes into account the local contextual parameters and the overall cultural context of naturally occurring discourse practices. 

My Home Page:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409bf2006/bulda/bulda-home.htm

Class Home Page:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/classhome-g25.htm