Language Use and Conversation Management

Abstract

Abstract Scholars have engaged in considerable debate over the past two decades about the extent to which gender differences exist in speech and about the meaning of those differences. It is important to note that in the English language no speech forms are used exclusively by members of one sex and not the other;1 men and women both use the same linguistic forms. Some have argued that there are consistent gender differences in the frequency with which certain speech forms are used. Others contend that stereotypes about gender differences in language far outweigh actual gender differences in speech. Controversy exists as to the meaning of the gender differences in language use that have been identified. A review of the research literature reveals the complexity of these issues and the problematic nature of many of the conclusions that have been drawn. Given the breadth of the issues that have been considered in regard to gender differences in language use, I have chosen to focus this chapter on language and will not consider paralinguistic features (e.g., pronunciation, pitch, intonation, loudness, grammatical form, hesitations in speech, laughing, and crying).