Their eyes met from across the room, she panicked instantly
looking away but his eyes were burning a hole in the back of her pink laced
top. The last time they had spoken he had chased her around the gardens in the
close by nature reserve, he had dirtied his trousers and she kindly washed
them. But now it felt awkward and forced, she approached him as she fled
towards the exit of the gathering. She tripped, falling to the floor and her
cheeks reddening with embarrassment. He quickly approached her and helped her
up taking her hand, they caught eyes once more but again she quickly moved her
eyes and found something else to look at. She thanked him and got on her way
travelling home. When she arrived at her doorstop he was there waiting, ‘you
forgot your hair pin’ he said, she thought to herself for a second, what a
stupid thing to bring back to me she thought, they are only fifty pence in the
shop. By the time all of this had whirled around her head twice over there was
an awkward silence at the door to avoid more awkwardness she welcomed him in
for a drink. They spoke for hours and it wasn’t until she glanced outside at
the darkness that she realised the time. He left abruptly after this, paced out
the door, they said their farewells and he left. She didn’t see him again after
this it took weeks and weeks of thinking about him until he finally reappeared.
By this point she had been waiting for so long she felt instantly attached, she
did whatever he wanted to try and make him stay. She stayed at his beck and
call, she stayed at home in case he needed her and didn’t make any plans.
Trugill 1983
Women's pronunciation is more formal and is closer to RP than males.
Cheshire 1982
Boys tend to use more non-grammatical forms, like ain't and cuz, than girls.
Lakoff (Robin) 1975
Women use: hedges + fillers; tag questions; apologetic requests, indirect requests, speak less, use fewer expletives, more intensifiers. She argued that these features of speech make women seem more inferior, weak and needy and prevents women from being taken seriously. Apologetic requests: Im sorry for having to ask this....
indirect requests: could someone....
O'Barr and Atkins 1980
Disputed Lakoff, said that it was males and females of low social status who used these linguistic features.
Zimmerman and West 1975
found 96% of interruptions were made by men, suggesting male dominance and superiority in conversation.
Tanner 1990
Differences not similarities.
Men: more concerned with status - interrupt more; gives more direct orders - don't mind conflict; more intensifiers in getting facts and solving problems.
Females: more interested in for bonds - tend to talk less and agree more; more polite indirect orders - to avoid conflict; aim to show understanding by compromising and offering support rather than solutions.
Beattie 1982
Questioned Zimmerman and West's theory that men's interruptions were a sign of dominance. He said it could be to show support and understanding
Cameron 2007
Argued all theories were biased because they concentrated on the differences between men and women's speech rather than the similarities.
Coates
'Women's talk' falls into four categories
1) Bitching
2) Chatting
3) House Talk
4) Scandal