Gender Differences In Verbal Communication

Gender difference in language use refers to the fact that language users have differentchoices in language variations and ways of expressions due to gender difference. A largenumber of researches show that gender affects people’s speech acts in a certain way.Meanwhile gender differences in language have an influence on cross-gender communication.Therefore, the study of gender language will reduce the obstacles and misunderstanding incommunication, achieving harmonious cross-gender communication. The study of genderdifferences is a very important subject in sociolinguistics. However, exploring genderdifferences of fictional text from the perspective of pragmatics is a relatively effectiveapproach.Within the theoretical framework of the socio-linguistics and the pragmatics, this thesisadopts the qualitative method to analyze the gender differences exemplified in theconversations from Jane Austin’s renowned novels Pride and Prejudice and Sense andSensibility.Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility are very widely read novels of Jane Austin.And these two novels are very classical. By analyzing some typical segments, the authorfinds that males and females do differ in observing or flouting the above theories. Generallyspeaking, females can provide sufficient relevant information to guarantee that theconversations can go on very smoothly. Thus, they tend to observe the CP. Although femalessometimes may flout the manner maxim and quality maxim of CP because of some reasons,they are inclined to utilize some rather polite manners when flouting the above two maximssuch as hedges, tag questions or some special sentences or vocabulary and so on. However,the males always flout the CP and PP by speaking too long, too short or provide some wrong or misleading information, causing the conversations not to go on or even suspend. As forthe face-saving theory, females always use face-saving strategies, such as positive politeness,negative politeness or non-public face-threatening acts and so forth to save other people’sface, trying to avoid or reduce threatening other’s faces as much as possible. While, malesare very different in this aspect and they always threaten other’s face in public and ignoreother people’s face. Some exceptions are also presented. Namely, in certain cases, womenmay violate the PP, while male may observe the CP or PP. What’s more, if the two speakers(a male and female) are of different status, we may come to different conclusions.This thesis also analyses the reasons why males and females differ in conversations fromthe angles of physiology, psychology, history, society, and culture. What is more, bycombining the specific social background of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibilitywith the life experiences of Jane Austin, this thesis discusses particular reasons resulting inthe gender difference in the conversations of the novels. This thesis also talks about theinspiration people can get from gender differences. In the end, the thesis points out thelimitations of this study and some suggestions for future studies are also given.