**Warning: long post ahead. Viewer discretion advised. ;)**
Despite the long long list of work that's causing my feet to drag every time I walk to classes these past few weeks, I've eagerly anticipated this week's seminar. Partly because its the topic investigated in my research project...it's also been a topic I've been exploring for a while ever since I came across an article in another class on the language behaviour of males in college fraternities in the US.
The article talks of how males in a college fraternity tend to collectively construct a 'male' identity via their group conversations, where only particular types of discourses dominate (often related to 'chicks', 'sex' and 'booze'). When interviewed individually, individuals actually reported being not really too preoccupied by these subjects in their own lives in reality, but merely participating because it was the norm to talk about such topics in those groups.
Despite my interest, I'm not entirely convinced by ALL the theories that have been proposed thus far which suggest a strictly distinctive set of features that can be characterized as 'male' or 'female'. Instances of discriminatory attitudes towards people around me have occurred simply because they are labeled as speaking in a manner that is too 'masculine' or too 'girly'. For example, male friends who use a lot of emphatics like 'so' ('I'm soooo irritated, ok!') or who are perceived as more talkative than other 'normal' guys are labeled derogatory terms like 'sissy' or 'gay'. While these point to the fact that yes, people DO have inherent notions of what constitutes 'male' and 'female' speech, it deceivingly suggests that these distinctions are necessarily 'natural' and not to be challenged.
What we learnt thus far should probably tell us how male and female characteristics of speech are typically never universal. Rather, they are the products of socialization, and can differ from culture to culture. That being said, it thus remains a very interesting field of research that has potential to uncover at least the relations of gender peculiar to each culture and society.
The following is a very rough analysis of a mixed-gender conversation that recently occurred -
Despite the long long list of work that's causing my feet to drag every time I walk to classes these past few weeks, I've eagerly anticipated this week's seminar. Partly because its the topic investigated in my research project...it's also been a topic I've been exploring for a while ever since I came across an article in another class on the language behaviour of males in college fraternities in the US.
The article talks of how males in a college fraternity tend to collectively construct a 'male' identity via their group conversations, where only particular types of discourses dominate (often related to 'chicks', 'sex' and 'booze'). When interviewed individually, individuals actually reported being not really too preoccupied by these subjects in their own lives in reality, but merely participating because it was the norm to talk about such topics in those groups.
Despite my interest, I'm not entirely convinced by ALL the theories that have been proposed thus far which suggest a strictly distinctive set of features that can be characterized as 'male' or 'female'. Instances of discriminatory attitudes towards people around me have occurred simply because they are labeled as speaking in a manner that is too 'masculine' or too 'girly'. For example, male friends who use a lot of emphatics like 'so' ('I'm soooo irritated, ok!') or who are perceived as more talkative than other 'normal' guys are labeled derogatory terms like 'sissy' or 'gay'. While these point to the fact that yes, people DO have inherent notions of what constitutes 'male' and 'female' speech, it deceivingly suggests that these distinctions are necessarily 'natural' and not to be challenged.
What we learnt thus far should probably tell us how male and female characteristics of speech are typically never universal. Rather, they are the products of socialization, and can differ from culture to culture. That being said, it thus remains a very interesting field of research that has potential to uncover at least the relations of gender peculiar to each culture and society.
The following is a very rough analysis of a mixed-gender conversation that recently occurred -
I happen to be in a project group for a Computing module, with three other male computing students. This happened in one of our project meetings earlier this week.
During the meeting, I noticed a prominent operation scar on one person's arm, and enquired about it. As he began telling the story behind the scar, another member almost instantly revealed that he had a similar operation scar on his arm too. Even though I originally posed the question to just one of them, both then started telling their story at about the same time. I became a passive member and listened as their narratives unfolded, occasionally asking one or two questions just to clarify the details (attempting to be like a researcher!). It was interesting to see how both stories developed at about the same time, without much engagement with each other. There were few pauses as each speaker was quick to produce conversation turns almost immediately after the first ended. I could tell both were eager to share their own story. There was a negligible number of minimal responses (most of them, if any, seem to have come from me). Thus, on the whole, it was definitely not very collaborative, but more focused on information-giving. It was particularly interesting that both injuries sustained were due to an act of playing gruelling sports - an act which is typically associated with being 'masculine'.
Compared to the experiences I've had with female friends, males and females do seem to share personal narratives with each other differently. Females would probably not just tell their stories out straight, but also focus on saying more things like 'Yeah...I know what you mean/how you felt" - a style which emphasizes the acknowledgment of the other party's experiences/contributions, BEFORE continuing with her own narrative. My humble guess is that the females I observed more readily recognize the opportunities for relational interaction and the building of closer ties with each other through the sharing of personal narratives. For males, it is a matter of comparing facts about each other's lives (achievements), which helps to give them a stronger sense of 'self' in relation to other males.
Just some humble conjectures (some stolen from well-researched academics). I warmly welcome any thoughts and inputs... :)
Compared to the experiences I've had with female friends, males and females do seem to share personal narratives with each other differently. Females would probably not just tell their stories out straight, but also focus on saying more things like 'Yeah...I know what you mean/how you felt" - a style which emphasizes the acknowledgment of the other party's experiences/contributions, BEFORE continuing with her own narrative. My humble guess is that the females I observed more readily recognize the opportunities for relational interaction and the building of closer ties with each other through the sharing of personal narratives. For males, it is a matter of comparing facts about each other's lives (achievements), which helps to give them a stronger sense of 'self' in relation to other males.
Just some humble conjectures (some stolen from well-researched academics). I warmly welcome any thoughts and inputs... :)
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