Children's Speech Accommodation to Gendered Language Styles

Abstract

Research has shown that adults accommodate to the speech style of their conversational partner. For men, this accommodation is mediated by gender role beliefs. Speech accommodation and factors influencing this behavior during middle childhood have received little attention. The present study examined children's speech accommodation as functions of their gender role beliefs, age, and gender. A male and a female experimenter, trained to use both male- and female-preferential language styles, interacted with primary school children during a puppet show. Analyses showed that the children adjusted their speech toward that of the experimenter. There was little effect of child or experimenter gender on children's speech. In addition, boys' conversational behavior was related to their beliefs about adhering to gender stereotypes. Results are discussed in relation to a social constructionist view of gender.