Psy 409b, 01/29/06
The Ambiguity of Power and Solidarity through Linguistics
Gender 31-47, Gender Discourse by Deborah Tannen, Oxford University Press, 1994
Ø Two benefits of indirectness
§ Defensiveness: refers to a speaker’s preference not to go on record with an idea in order to disclaim, modify, or rescind it if it does not meet with a positive response
§ Rapport: results from the pleasant experience of getting one’s way not because one demanded it, but because the other person wanted the same thing
§ Depending on culture and context, defensiveness and rapport can take on both power and solidarity roles.
Ø Interruption
§ Widespread assumption that this is a sign of dominance (power)
§ Must instead take into consideration “overlap”, balance/symmetry of conversation, context, and speakers’ habitual styles
Ø Silence vs. Volubility
§ Silence and volubility can represent both powerlessness or dominance, depending on the dynamics in the conversation (i.e. shorter-pausing friends/longer-pausing friends; social customs; etc)
Ø Topic Raising
§ Typical assumption that person raising the most topics is dominating that conversation
§ Must take into consideration who the topics were focused on (may be focused on the other person)
§ Also examines the difference in pacing and pausing
Ø Adversativeness
§ For boys, power often entails solidarity (i.e. opposing other teams and even each other leads to a closer camaraderie)
· Arguing or fighting can lead to friendship (power leads to solidarity)
§ For girls, supporting friendships often includes excluding or talking about other girls (solidarity contributes to power)
Ø Conclusion
§ Power and solidarity are often times interdependent
§ Because of such ambiguity, it is dangerous to link such linguistic forms to intentions such as dominance or solidarity
Related Links
“The Language and Gender Page” http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/bucholtz/lng/ This site provides information and resources about language and gender studies, including the contact information of language and gender scholars around the world, associations and societies that study gender and language, and resources such as research and teaching materials. The purpose of this website is to help any individual who is interested in this material to become more oriented with the ever expanding information.
“Difference in Communication Style of Men and Women” http://www.amsc.belvoir.army.mil/ecampus/Learningcurve/Student%20web%20projects/Communications%20student%20project/03-3/diffincomm.htm
This site describes some of the differences between men and women when conversing with others. Some topics focused on include, equality, body language, dialogue, requests, changing subjects, speech patterns, word choices, problem solving, giving feedback, and asking questions. In the intro of this website Deborah Tannen is quoted from her book You Just Don’t Understand asserting, “even if they grow up in the same neighborhood, on the same block, or in the same house, girls and boys grow up in different worlds or words”.
“The Ladies Room: Gender Talk” http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/2052/genddiff.html This site explains the different way men and women speak that are associated with their gender. The styles are described as "debate vs. relate", "report vs. rapport, or "competitive vs. cooperative". This site also examines nonverbal communication such as facial expressions and body language. Another positive aspect of this site are the many links to similar subjects and discussions.
My Homepage: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409bs2006/pettit/pettit-home.htm
Class Homepage: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm