Discuss the significant differences between men's and women's talk - the way they interact, their choices of words and phrases and the topics they like to discuss.

Essay by hazrinUniversity, Master's July 2005

download word file, 7 pages 3.5

As God had created both men and women physically different, it is no wonder that men and women also differ in they way they think, feel and converse. It is a stereotype that men are the more practical thinkers as compared to the women who are more concerned with aesthetics and feelings. It is probable due to this difference that men and women compliment each other in the way that they think, feel and also they way the converse. However, there are no proper research done to conclude the above due to the individuality of both men and women. As there may be men who are more concerned with aesthetics and feelings and there may also be women who are practical thinkers. These differences make it difficult to draw any concrete conclusion on the way men and women think and feel. However, there are studies to show that there are differences between the way men and women talk.

We will discuss the differences between men's and women's talk in the way they interact, their choice of words and phrases and the topics they like to discuss. We will begin by first looking at how men and women use compliments in their interactions.

A study involving American, British, Polish and New Zealand speakers, both male and female, have shown that the use of compliments is more predominant among the women as compared to men, and that they are complimented more often then men (Nessa Wolfson, 1983; Janet Holmes, 1988; Barbara Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, 1989; Robert Herbert, 1990). In addition, a study by Janet Holmes in 1988 of middle-class Pakeha New Zealanders showed that two-thirds of all compliments were given by women and they received three-quarters of them. She also noted that women compliment each other twice as much as men complimented them.