Alvin Nella Critical Essay 10/1/12

Different Languages

Over decades, men and women of any culture are known to speak different languages. Because of this, myths have been stated about men and women and how they speak. Some may claim that women speak more than men for all situations, or vice versa. The acknowledgement of this study with hundreds of experimenters gives the topic a brighter light each day. As one of the experimenters, I was originally going to find evidence of quantity. I used the argument that if men and women spoke the same language, then they will contribute equally to different types of discussions. As I investigated my study, I began to notice that it wasnt about the quantity of speaking, but the quality of the speech of men and women in different situations. This argument was also used in the essay, Sex Differences, by Ronald Macaulay. He claimed that, To the extent that these activities differ between males and females, it is to be expected that their language will differ (Goshgarian 265). With my recordings and presence of each discussion, I was able to notice how each sex contributed. From my evidence, men and women speak different languages in terms of speech styles in certain situations. My first study was in my Explore Chicago class as we engaged in a formal discussion for one hour about a book that we read. There are 30 students in the room; thirteen are men and seventeen are women. The room is a large business room, and the tables are set up in groups of circles with men and women divided equally. The room is very diverse with different nationalities, so a fear of speaking was not an issue. The students in our room are very open to
Comment [T3]: Hmm interesting point. How does a diverse classroom decrease a students fear of speaking? Comment [T2]: What situations exactly? Comment [T1]: These are some broad and sweeping claims about gender and language over decades and across cultures I would consider going back to the readings to provide support for these claims using quotes or perhaps narrowing the scope.

others opinions, and do not bash on someone for claiming a certain belief that he/she has. The reason why discussion is a huge part of our class is because we are not afraid to speak up, either with a loud tone or with basic ideas. Our teacher, Mr. Wodziak, began the discussion by rising up a question of how we felt about the book. The question sparked up an equal amount of men and womens hands. As students began to answer the question, I noticed the difference of words and ideas both sexes used. For the women, they used words such as I felt sorry when or It was weird that I thought this was interesting because the women used words of emotions and basically recalled what was occurring in the book. As for the men, they started using words as in, It was interesting when or I disagree about The men strongly critiqued what was going on in the book, and felt no sympathy at some parts of which the women felt. I noticed that this type of phrase usage was being utilized throughout the discussion rather than for that one question. I also noticed the tone of the men and women which was used during this discussion. Then men were very laid back, but answered the teachers discussion questions with roaring voices and in depth analysis. The women, however, sat with a straight edge and spoke softly while answering questions. Unlike the men, their answers were usually stated in a short sentence without many references from the book. From the results of this discussion, it was interesting to see how men and women interacted with each other in a formal discussion. While they were evenly divided by the amount of times each sex spoke, their tone, body language, and support for their answers were not matched. The second study that I conducted was an informal discussion for one hour between four men and three women from my dorm hall. I had asked them to sit in the study room on the fourth floor of Clifton-Fullerton with me while we were doing our homework. Nobody went to the Ray Meyer fitness center that day, so they were all either coming back from class or had ended class
Comment [T5]: Excellent analysis! Comment [T4]: Oh ok, hmm so does this tie into the diversity of the class somehow?

earlier. The nationalities were also very diverse to the fact that there were not more than 2 out of the seven people of the same race in the study room. The women sat on the floor while the men sat on the couches surrounding them. Unlike the business room, this study room was about the size of two dorm rooms. I did not tell them that they were being recorded because I knew they would change their attitudes and speech in order to seem different. As we began our homework, different discussion topics came and went. Some of the topics included: sports, gossip, personal daily life, and broad topics. As we began talking about sports, the men were low-toned and very nonchalant, and they knew what they were talking about. On the other hand, the women were loud and excited for the next Chicago Bears game even though they only knew who Jay Cutler was. The most solid evidence from this discussion was from the topic of gossip. Everyone in college loves gossip, so it was easy for my group of friends to quickly engage in this discussion. A couple of the women stated, OMG! Did you hear about her!? and I didnt know he would do that! All of the statements made by the women were spontaneous and it did not take too long for the room to fill with laughter. The men did not take such a route into gossiping, but they asked the women questions which would lead them into a thundering track of disgust and shock again. The men used phrases such as, Its pretty cool that and Who wouldve known While the men did talk, they were not as loud or enthusiastic about the topics as much as the women were. The women had more energy and loved talking about the certain topics we talked about during the discussion. Although the men and women were equally contributing to the discussion, there was a clear difference to how each sex was speaking. Finally, both of my investigations brought me to a conclusion. But before the conclusion, I noticed that my experiment could have been claimed invalid. I only took into account one informal discussion and one formal discussion, and only one time period for each discussion.
Comment [T8]: Hmm, your experiment (which would traditionally include hypothesis, purpose, method, results) would probably be valid still but yes, you do a good job of noting that your conclusions about men and women are based on limited data Comment [T7]: Excellent tie in to your thesis Comment [T6]: Ah, nice. I hope you let them know afterwards though (?) If these were your friends, let them know that you analyzed your conversation for a project in a class in case you hadnt done so

Nonetheless, as I looked over my results, I noticed two things. I noticed that men have a louder tone in voice when they are publicly speaking in a formal discussion, and a lower tone while in an informal discussion. I also noticed that women have a softer tone within a formal discussion, but are out of this world when it comes to an informal discussion. I also recognized that given the same amount of chances to speak, men and women do speak a different language in certain situations. I had also noted in my field work that, Both sexes had more chances to express their feelings in informal discussions where they were not being graded for their answers. The men and women definitely had more chances to talk in the informal discussions, and they used this privilege to their advantage. According to my study, Macaulay was correct in saying the language between men and women would differ in different situations. Given about the same amount of time to speak, men and women speak with different tones and styles in capable areas. As more experimenters enter the field of language between men and women, the study will continue to increase with more evidence and theories each day.
Comment [T9]: Interesting is this referring to the knowledge that they have this might add a new topic to your argument that you havent discussed throughout your paper

Alvin, this is well-supported argument! You do a good job of referring back to your thesis within your supporting paragraphs. Consider how you can narrow the scope and discussion of your introduction and conclusion (they both included some broad statements); ask yourself can I back this up with the readings or with my observations to figure out if a statement is too broad or sweeping. Other than that, just consider the suggestions in the margins. Best, Sumbul

Bibliography

1. Goshgarian, Gary. Exploring Language. Thirteenth ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2012, 2010, 2007, 2004. Print.