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Cultural differences communication
Cultural differences in cross-cultural communication
Cultural differences communication
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A conversation between a man and a woman is very different to one between a woman and a woman or between a man and another man. Both genders have very different ways of communicating. In the essay, “Sex Lies and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard For Men And Women To Talk To Each Other”, Deborah Tannen observes the different communication styles both genders have along with the factors of linguistic battle between the sexes, listening to body language, and the sound of silence. In the text, it is evident that there is a excessive extent that these linguistic differences are a major factor in the conversations between men and women. One of the major factors is the linguistic battle between the sexes. As Deborah explained, linguistic battle between …show more content…
Both sexes have grown up with their own mentality of how communication in a friendship or relationship. This causes major issues to occur when men and women have dialogue with one another. They misinterpret or simply misunderstand the way the other gender would appreciate to be listened to or spoken to. An example of this misunderstanding and linguistic difference is found in body language. Body language is one of the most important obstacles in a discussion between men and women. Women like to speak face to face “their eyes anchored on each other’s” (342). As for men, they like sit “at angles from each other and look else where in the room” (342). So when both genders use these specific conversation habits with each other, it causes irritation and an unpleasant impression for both parties. The woman assumes the man isn 't listening to her speak, and the man believes he’s being scrutinized under her intense stare. This linguistic difference creates a blockade between both genders, and doesn 't allow communication to flow between the …show more content…
In short, this means “listener- noises”. For females it is comforting to know that the listener is still following along when they speak, so they expect “listener-noises”. As for men, when speaking to one another they tend to stay completely silent until the speaker has fully finished telling his story. When bringing these two qualities into a talk between a man and woman, it can cause irritation on both sides. As Deborah shares, for a woman, when a man stays completely quiet it appears she has lost his attention and interest. As for the man, when the woman offers her advise or makes “lister-noises” it come across as pushy and impatient. The unfortunate part is that both parities mean no harm with their listening skills. They simply have habits that the opposite sex is not accustom
That is the question of the century, and it frequently asked, especially by women in a relationship. Communication is key, but it is often a problem between couples. Men and women communicate in different ways, and there is constant misunderstanding during these variations of communication. Deborah Tannen really aids her audience in understanding these types of communication in her article, “Sex, Lies, and Conversation.” She has a PhD in linguistics, and is a professor of linguistics as well. She provides very useful information and even gives situations to relate to.
Communications generally occur in body languages: how the individuals interpret each other. Her essay is an event that is reoccurring more and more lately. The event results in a failure in marriage. In today’s society more and more people are splitting up or having divorces due to miscommunications. The essay, “Sex, Lies and Conversation,” that Deborah Tannen wrote is much use of today because it explains where miscommunications happen and she has her own studies and research to back it up. The essay goes into depth about her ideologies that cause miscommunications. Look at a miscommunication twice and do not be quick to judge because it will save plenty of
Steven Pinker distinguishes the difference between talking to man and women. Pinker showed a lady that was comfortable talking to another lady and the lady became angry when her talking to a man, not women (Pinker 2007 .p112, 113). People used intricacies method to achieve their needs and emotion instead of saying what they need to say directly. (Pinker 2007 .p113) Furthermore, even in a sexual situation, people twist and turn around and turn around their words. For example, “would you like to come up and see my etching?” (Pinker 2007.p113) Moreover, people use a kind word to order something from someone else without making a demand to the receiver or using indirect speeches to avoid a problem that may happen by mistake. (Pinker, 2007
In the introduction of Deborah Tannen’s “Conversation Style: Talking on the Job”, she compares and contrasts the ways men and women communicate. This reminds me of what I tell people that are struggling in their relationships. Women and men express themselves differently. Women think, but men act. If you can’t wrap your head around this, being in a relationship with anyone is going to be hard. Yet, this is such a basic way of looking at this issue. Not only are the genders vastly different, but each person relates to the world around them in a certain way. He or she also needs to be related to in a specific way. Looking at personalities and personal histories can give a better look at the way we communicate with each other. Tannen examines
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
The circle of influence and experience were different between men and women because of the differences in philosophies of life. The differences in philosophies of life created communication problems between men and women. What seemed to be interesting to one person would not be interesting to another. The key to a successful relationship would be to communicate with your spouse in all aspects of life, even if it was not a mutual interest. The author of Sex, Lies, and Conversation, Deborah Tannen, explained how men and women communicated differently through listening skills, body language, and emotions.
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
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).
A woman may use “listener noises” such as “Uh huh” to let you know that she is listening. Men tend to prefer to sit quietly and focus on what is being said. Men tend to interpret the woman’s conversation noises as interruptions and may become annoyed, according to Deborah Tannen. Deborah Tannen also states that most women often prefer talking while sitting or standing in a group of people where everyone is face-to-face. Most men prefer talking shoulder-to-shoulder. A woman might use gestures, facial expressions, and incline her head and shrug her shoulders during the conversation. A man usually prefers a relaxed pose; they prefer to keep the body language and facial expressions more contained. These are the reasons why miscommunication can occur between men and women. Here is an example by Deborah Tannen: A college student was frustrated because whenever she told her boyfriend she wanted to talk he would lie down on the floor, close his eyes and put his arm over his face. To her, this not-so-subtle sign meant he wasn't listening. But he insisted he was listening, even harder than he would if he was looking directly at her. Lying down simply kept him from looking around the room so he could concentrate (Tannen,1990). Now, in order to solve these types of miscommunications, we need to learn to understand each other and our
Communication is the means of connection between people or places, it’s an easy every day use. Most of us get into the habit of talking a specific way towards females and males, although it does differ depending on who you are you’d be surprised on how often it actually happens. This habit starts very early on, way back to grade school the way we interact with people then and the social interaction we have now correlate with habits that start early on in life. Another thing is the way you’re brought up and your culture some may be raised differently or some may have more interaction with females than males and vice versa. One author that shows interest in this topic is Deborah Tannen, she is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. She wrote an excerpt called, “Why Can’t He Hear What I’m Saying?” in this she discusses her relationship with her husband and how their relationship lacked communication which lead to a divorce. In this excerpt she hits a lot of essential points in gender communication. Overall, depending on how and where you grow up greatly effects the way you communicate with the opposite sex whether it’s realized or not.
...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.
Littlejohn, S.W., & Foss, K. A. (2009). Genderlect Theory. Encyclopedia of Communication Theory (1st ed., Vol.25, pp. 205-207). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Gender communication focused on the method of expressing a thought or idea through the use of a gender in the relationship and the role of people. Some will argue that gender communication is qualified as a form of intercultural communication on the development of effective communication skills when we interact with an opposite sex. The communication between men and women have a huge difference because people from different culture speak different dialects. In the current society, it is common for us to hear phrases such as “ you men (women) are from a different planet,”these phrases are developed due to the miscommunication between men and women over the course of evolution. Men and women had developed different methods of
Our capacity as human beings to acquire and express complex methods of communication has been one of the biggest driving forces of humanity’s success. These complex linguistic systems are what we know as language. Language gives us a method of expressing concepts, emotions, and ideas in a varied way which sets us apart from all other animals. Language and gender is an area of sociolinguistics and related fields which attempt to define the differences in language related to gender, and what the inferences of these differences may be.
Wardhaugh states different social norms defining the standards of being men or women, which has a profound influence on the language behavior shown by different genders. In other words, both men and women should possess the ability to show either masculinity or feminity through the language they use. When this ability overlaps with the other gender, however, one might be considered as as outsider of their own gender. He then lists the main differences between males and femals with the connection with language: genetic differences, social differences (e.g. various roles people take within a certain society), and linguistic differences (e.g. speech style and word choice). Doing so, he gives readers an indepth idea about how gender differences link to various language behaviors. He further explains how these differences are possibly created and constructed in society. Wardhaugh also examines a few common gender stereotypes, such as women talk more than men, and proves most of the stereotypes are wrong.