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More handpicked essays just for you.
The role of culture in communication
What extent gender stereotypes are still prevalent in today’s society
The role of culture in communication
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Tannen’s main point was for us to see the differences and importance of communication in the work field. She shows how seemingly uncomplicated little “rituals” we say, may be taken a variety of different ways. Her article helps show how words are very powerful! It seems as though she wants to provide new opportunities or possibilities for women and men to become more willing to really communicate effectively with each other, at home, and at work. I agree with Tannen that women and men communicate much differently. For example, I grew up with all brothers, so the way I talk with other girls is often different than some that grew up with sisters. Tannen writes that men joke differently than women. I can attest to this. Since I grew up mainly
Deborah Tannen has achieved scholarly and public praise for her conclusions about how women and men differ in conversational styles. You Just Don’t Understand[6] clarifies stylistic differences in how the two sexes communicate with each other.
On April 22, 1998, climate scientists Michael E. Mann, Raymond S. Bradley and Malcolm K. Hughes published an article that received unprecedented attention for a publication of its kind. In their initial piece “Global-Scale Temperature Patterns and Climate Forcing Over the Past Six Centuries,” the authors charted global annual surface temperature patterns for 600 years. As a response to significant interest within the scientific community, the next year they released a paper that reconstructed average temperatures over the entire past millennium. The result of their work is the graph below
Male or female, we all have the same basic human need to be understood by others, to communicate. One trait that can greatly influence the way we communicate is our gender. We may not agree with every theory of differences between male and female communication, but we do notice some differences in the genders when it is time to talk. Whether the communication is online or in person, there is a clear discrepancy between the genders. When it comes to public speeches and academic institutions, private discussions, and online talk we can clearly see the difference between how men and women talk and interact with other people.
The purpose of the composition of the article is to acknowledge the fact that racism has not changed over time. Additionally, another purpose is to create an awareness that the writer himself was not a part of the self-segregation that occurred during high school. By using the words “What did it say about me when I refused to sit there, day after day for three years.” (Graham 1). This points out how although he was discriminated against, the author still refused to join those who purposefully set themselves aside as the “black table”.
Deborah Tannen is the author of the book You Just Don't Understand where she analyzes the different meanings of communication between men and women. Her research shows that women and men use the same words and phrases and yet can interpret and react to those same words and phrases differently. Tannen compares the two sexes to find men use their conversation as a type of competition or to preserve their independence. For example, men talk about their knowledge regarding sports, cars, women, exc. Meanwhile, women try to foster intimacy through communication. For instance, women often talk and relate on a personal level. Throughout Tannen's book she uses "cross-cultural communication" to describe the differences between the language of men and women. Tannen observed that, "For males, conversation is the way you negotiate your status in the group and keep people from pushing you around; you use talk to preserve your independence. Females, on the other hand, use conversation to negotiate closeness and intimacy; talk is the essence of intimacy, so being best friends means sitting and talking. For boys, activities, doing things together, are central. Just sitting and talking is not an essential part of friendship. They're friends with the boys they do things with" (Tannen 95).
I also felt that it is majorly due to the different contexts in which men and women are analyzed that creates more difference. If some informal situation is considered and comparison made between the language and style of communication of men and women, there would only be some minor differences and more similarities where language and communication is concerned.
Deborah Tannen, a linguistics and renowned professor discusses in, “How Men and Female Students Communicate”, the many unique ways that men and female students in her classes talk. In addition, Tannens primary focus is discussing why her female students are less vocal than her male students.
Online news website, The Journal, presents the contrasting views of the public issue of chugging. Users ‘RL’ and ‘KM’ weighed in on the opinion piece published by an anonymous writer on the 6th of October 2013. Outlining the effect chugging has on the average shopper, the writer’s audience is the broad public. The writer highlights the many shortcomings of chugging – the shortened form of the phrase ‘charity mugging’ - anecdotally and emotively, then shifting to a more logical and reasonable tone, demonstrating their shared focus on not only the problem, but also solutions. User ‘RL’ similarly shares their experience with chugging as well as highlighting a solution, however user ‘KM’ advocates for chugging by appealing to the reader's sense of guilt by empathising with chuggers.
Do men and women effectively communicate in the same way, or is it just a conversation of misunderstanding? There is constantly a new interest in whether men and women converse successfully. Professor and journalist, Deborah Tannen writes, “Sex, Lies, and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other?” Tannen compares and contrasts all conversational styles, and explains how the expectation of dialogue affects how men and women converse. Tannen focuses on the subject of marriage and the imbalance of interest between male and female couples. The contrasting perspective however comes from, Deborah Cameron, author of, “What Language Barrier”. Cameron conveys that the stereotypes left upon male and female communication
...a meaningful communication to take place. In conclusion, there are differences between men and women that go beyond social nurture. These differences have their origin in their genes. The differences evident in men and women are translated in their behavior and communication. There are possibilities of these differences in their turn raising the problem of failing to understand one another because in a communication men and women have a different set of expectations from each other. It is essential to understand and appreciate these differences for a meaningful communication to take place.
...or a relationship”. In genderlects, there is no superior or inferior method of communication, but rather, men and women just communicate differently. By understanding these differences, one can reduce the amount of misunderstandings in future conversations.
Essentially, we are all different. We use language differently and interpret language differently. This is what we base our perceptions of others on, thus it is ultimately what dictates our interaction with others. The fact that men’s and women’s interaction differs because the two sexes generally interpret things differently is not a strange phenomenon, because we are all different.
We all know that men and women are different. They look different, act different, walk, talk, and even smell different. In part, the simple fact that we are different explains why we sometimes have trouble communicating with and understanding the opposite sex. However, a close look at our language may show that there is more to the communication barrier between the sexes than meets the eye.
Men and women communicate completely differently almost speaking two languages.Men and women have two different conversational cultures. Men speak in order to set the tone and expect support and attention from their partner while women talk to please others...
Communication between the sexes is the most striking difference between women and men. Linguists have documented the way men and women’s communication styles differ over the recent years not only to determine which is best, but for the purpose of understanding and adapting. With recognizing the differences, men and women can improve with communication with the opposite sex. The general gender communications difference affects all men and women in every context.