VERBAL INTERACTION-

GENDER PATTERNS
DIFFERENTIATIONS
Coord.
Lect. univ. dr. Andreia-Irina Suciu


Absolvent
Paula-Loredana urcan
CONTENTS
ARGUMENT .

PART ONE: Gender patterns differentiations- theoretical concepts
CHAPTER I. Interaction
I.1. Verbal interaction
I.2.The patterns of verbal interaction
CHAPTER II. Gender patterns differentiations
II.1.Masculine speech patterns vs. feminine speech patterns

PART TWO: Case study of the verbal interaction between gender
representatives
CHAPTER III. Conversation analysis
III.1. Woman to woman conversation
III.2. Man to man conversation
III.3. Mixed-gender conversation
CONCLUSIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
KEY WORDS
VERBAL INTERACTION
GENDER PATTERNS
SITUATIONAL CONVERSATIONS
CONVERSATION ANALYSIS
THE PURPOSE OF THE
DISSERTATION
In this dissertation I tried to examine the differences that
occur in a verbal interaction whose participants are men
and women.


The purpose was to develop the way in which these gender
patterns influence the speech of a gender representative
when occuring a verbal interaction.
WHAT IS INTERACTION
Interaction is a process by which different things affect
each other or change each other.

Verbal interaction is seen as communication between two
or more interlocutors whose purpose is to send a
message.

This message affects the other in a positive or negative
way.
GENDER PATTERNS
Masculine speech patterns: interruption, assertives,
hierarchy, directives, use of power, offensive speech,
asymmetric, establishing a hierarchy.

Masculine favourite subjects: cars, business, money, politics,
women.

Feminine speech patterns: self- disclosure, back channeling,
tag questions, hedges, euphemisms, expressives, emotional
speech.

Feminine favourite subjects: feelings, family, relations,
clothes, make-up.
CONVERSATIONAL SITUATIONS
CS1: Conversation between two women
Woman1: age 28
Woman2: age 25
Context: The two friends meet each other in a
supermarket
Woman1: Hello, dear!
Woman2: What a nice surprise!
Woman1: How are you? You look so fresh today! Did
you have a hair cut lately?
Woman2: Yes, I had it yesterday. Do you like it?
Woman1: Very much, it fits you very well.
Woman2: Thank you, my dear!
CS1 ANALYSIS
Greetings from the both sides- opening
Self- disclosure
Use of expressives
Repetition of the adverb very

The conversation is a regular one, being
polite and flattering your addressee is a
natural process when dealing with an
interaction which involved two or more
women.
CS2: Conversation between two
men
Male1: age 34
Male2: age 35
Context: Two friends discuss about the acquisition of a car, on the phone.
Male1: Hey, man!
Male2: Hey!
Male1: Guess what! Ive finally bought that car.
Male2: Which one? The BMW or the Ford?
Male1: The Ford.
Male2:What type of engine does it have ?
Male1: A diesel one.
Male2:What? Why couldnt you afford to buy a petrol one ?
Male1: The petrol one was too expensive and had a problem with the gearbox.
Male2: Ok, man. Ill come and look at it later.
Male1: Ok, bye.
Male2: Bye.
CS2 ANALYSIS
Short sentences
Greetings
Subject: cars

Behind every conversation initiated by
men, there is always a problem to solve, or
a point of view to sustain. These aspects
are highlighted in this conversational
situation through the questions performed
by the second interlocutor.
CS3: Conversation between a
man and a woman
Man: age 29
Woman: age 28
Context: After an argument, the husband tries to apologize to
his wife for something that made her upset.
M: Im sorry I made such a big deal about which restaurant to
go to.
W: Uh-huh.
M: It doesnt really matter.
W: Uh-uh.
M: Weve both had long days; we just need a good meal.
W: Uh-huh.
M: Do you want to eat by yourself tonight?!
W: Huh?
CS3 ANALYSIS
Apologies uttered by a man
Short answers coming from the woman
Great amount of questions asked by the man
Loss of temper due to the unefficient
communication between the two participants
Speaking of apologies, men use it rarely
compared to women, and do not understand that
women need more time to accept the apologies,
and misinterpret the short answers uttered by
women such as uh-huh as a refusal, which
makes them furious.
CONCLUSIONS
Women get into a conversation with
the others in order to build
connections, and to relate with the
other person. They consider subjects
like relationships, people and
experiences worthy of conversation.
Mens speech serves to lecture,
argue, debate, and command.
Men do not feel comfortable when
they get too many questions, they
react by closing down emotionally.
Women goals are giving emotional
support, creating boundaries,
discussing experiences, while mens
goal is the exchange of information.
Women interrupt to show concern, but
they think men disrupt the discussion
by shifting the subject. Men do try to
control the conversation by disrupting
it.
To sum up, men and women develop
male and female speech, but this
does not mean that there are not
situations when a woman may utter
something which is considered to
belong to a male speech and vice
versa.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chiru, Irena (2003) Comunicare interpersonal, Ed. Tritonic, Bucureti
Bonta, Elena (2004): Interpersonal communication, Ed. Alma Mater, Bacu.
Hymes, D. (1972): Models of the interaction of language and social life.
Jakobson, Sofie (2010): A study of female language features in same-sex
conversation
Kramer, C. (1974): Womens speech: Separate but unequal? Quatrerly
Journal of Speech.
Lakoff, R. (1973): Language and womans place, Language in Society,
Cambridge University Press.
Reik, T. (1954): Men and women speak different languages,
Psychoanalysis.
Searle, J. (1971): Les actes de language. Herman, Paris.
Tannen, D. (1993): Gender and conversational interaction, Oxford
University Press, New York.
Thorne. B., Henley. N. (1975): Language and Sex: Difference and
Dominance, Rowley. MA: Newbury House.