Report Talk and Rapport Talk

Deborah Tannen's research on gender differences in language use introduces the concepts of "report talk" (associated with men) and "rapport talk" (associated with women).

Definition: Report talk focuses on conveying information, while rapport talk aims to build relationships.

Tannen's comparison of male and female communication styles:

Women:

1. Talk more in private contexts
2. Build relationships
3. Overlap in conversation
4. Speak symmetrically

Men:

1. Get more air time in public settings
2. Negotiate status and avoid failure
3. Speak one at a time
4. Speak asymmetrically

Vocabulary: Overlapping - Supportive simultaneous speech, distinct from interruptions.

Tannen also introduces the concepts of high involvement and high considerateness speakers:

• High involvement speakers show enthusiastic support, even through simultaneous speech.
• High considerateness speakers are more concerned with being considerate to others and not imposing on the conversation.

Example: In the British House of Commons, there's a formal procedure for turn-taking, where speakers request permission to intervene with phrases like "Will you give way?"

This approach differs from the Dominance approach, suggesting that language is used differently by men and women but not necessarily to establish dominance.

Women's Oral Culture and Gossip

Deborah Jones's study on women's oral culture, which she terms "gossip," categorizes it into four types:

1. House talk: Exchange of information related to the female domestic role.
2. Scandal: Judging others' behavior, particularly in terms of domestic morality.
3. Bitching: Private expression of women's anger at their restricted roles and status.
4. Chatting: Intimate form of gossip involving mutual self-disclosure.

Definition: Gossip, in this context, refers to various forms of women's communication that serve different social and emotional functions.

These categories provide insight into the gender differences in language examples and how women use language to navigate their social roles and express themselves.

Highlight: Jones's research suggests that women use different types of gossip as a means of coping with and responding to their social positions.

Page 5: Women's Oral Culture

Deborah Jones's analysis of women's oral culture provides insight into different types of female communication, particularly relevant to gender differences in language use.

Definition: House talk - Exchange of information related to female domestic roles Definition: Scandal - Judgment of others' behavior through the lens of domestic morality Definition: Bitching - Private expression of women's frustration with restricted roles Definition: Chatting - Intimate form of gossip involving mutual self-disclosure

Highlight: Deborah Cameron's Diversity Model challenges the notion of innate gender differences in communication.