Psychology 409b Outline
Outline 8
Gender Discourse: Interpreting Interruption in a Conversation
By Bao Mien Lau
Gender and Discourse by Deborah Tannen. Oxford University Press. Pages 68-77
Instructor: Dr. Leon James
I. Cultural and Gender Variation
A. Different cultures have different conversational interruption styles
1. New Yorkers with an East-European Jewish background have high involvement styles
2. Californians with a Christian background were characterized as high considerateness
3. If certain cultures converse with one another, they may interpret one another as rude
a. They do not understand that each culture has different styles of interruption.
B. Fast Pacing
1. Results from styles of speakers in interaction relative to one another
C. Contrapuntal conversation
a. borrowed from Hawaiian children’s jointly produced verbal routine of “talk story”
D. Men and women on speaking styles
1. Single developed floor speaking, women tend to do less of the talking
2. On collaboratively developed floor speaking, men and women do the same amount of talking.
II. Stereotyping Conversational Styles
A. Ways of speaking become the basis of negative stereotyping
1. Anti-Semitism attributes loudness, aggressiveness, and pushiness to being Jewish
a. Jews are being blamed for their type of conversational style.
B. Rights of expressiveness and rights of sensibilities underlies community of blacks
1. Considers them inconsiderate, overbearing, and loud
C. Women as clucking hens
1. Misogynistic stereotype that only one voice can be heard
2. Women could just be using cooperative overlapping
3. Women are compared to noisy clucking hens
a. this is a negative idea.
III. Unfair Stereotyped Conversational Style
A. Women are at a social and cultural disadvantage
1. Men dominate women in our own culture (Americans)
2. Women who are perceived as dominating, aggressive and pushy are considered negative when compared to a man who is this say way.
B. Women who speak in a more stereotypical dominating way are perceived negatively.
Related Links
This site contains information from Tannen’s book, Conversational Styles. I felt that this site would benefit people who want to understand more ideas from Tannen. There are links to other books that discuss conversational styles and a review of Tannen’s books.
This website is very interesting. A group of students studying gender and conversational styles wrote this. In this report, they used one of Tannen’s books, songs, plays, and poems. They analyzed each one which was very informative and interesting to read.
http://www.wsu.edu/currents/units/hesaidshesaid.htm
This third webpage is Deborah Tannen’s official website. I felt that people who examine this outline may have more questions pertaining to this subject. This site can provide more information about Tannen and her ideas.
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/
My Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409bs2006/lau/lau-home.htm
Class Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm