Sex differences in language use have been examined for many years, but no clear-cut conclusions exist. A meta-analysis of the existing literature was conducted regarding powerful/powerless language use, including 30 studies, with a total combined sample size of 3,012. The overall correlation indicated that men use more powerful language than…

Presents results of a survey examining women's reported styles of interpersonal communication, including use of tentative language, interruption, and collaboration. Reveals that, in the technical/scientific field, women's and men's perceptions of their own communication seem to be moving toward and androgenous language pattern. (SR)

Presents a language approach to outgroup homogeneity and discrimination between gender groups. Finds outgroup discrimination was confined to female respondents; outgroup discrimination resulted more from repetition of biased statements than from differential abstraction; and discrimination was strongest for topics for which the most distinctive…

Language samples of college- and middle-aged respondents were analyzed to determine if the language use of college students is appropriate for generalizations to other elements of the population. (PD)

Examines whether it is possible to determine the gender of a message sender from cues in the message. Finds partial support for the hypothesis that women use more graphic accents than men do in their computer-mediated communication. Finds also that women tend to challenge and "flame" more than men. Discusses implications and poses…

Discusses the impact of possible sex-based differences in communication styles on the technical writer's job. Argues that technical writers can choose to use both male and female communication styles to acknowledge multiple audiences and to improve the quality of their documents. (KEH)

Presents study in which transcripts of speeches were linguistically analyzed for gender-specific features. Shows that a combination of 20 features could account for 99% of between-gender variance, permitting 100% gender prediction accuracy. (MS)

Examines 620 metaphorical conflict expressions generated by 169 participants, employed or with work experience. Indicates that participants predominately used "conflict is impotence" schemas. Finds no sex differences in either schemas or linguistic analyses of metaphorical expressions. Reports greater frequency and intensity of conflicts in family…

Investigates how language usage differs in same-sex and mixed-sex dyads. Finds partial support for the Gender-Linked Language Effect in same-sex dyads and for the attenuation of that effect in mixed-sex dyads. (MS)

Reports conversational topics among same-sex adult friends, co-workers, siblings, parents and children. Confirms findings of previous researchers but also reveals insights concerning same-sex conversational interactions, especially the sex differences in talk about sports. Includes the self-report questionnaire and tables of reported frequency of…

A study explored the social acceptability that accompanies the expression of sexual slang. The study of gender differences in language use is nothing new. Previous research has indicated that men and women differ in their use of tentative language, topic selection, control techniques, and conversational style. However, this research has examined…

A study was conducted to determine the effects on reading comprehension of the use of the exclusive pronoun "he" and more or less contrived alternatives. Subjects, 358 students enrolled in an introduction to human communication at a large northeastern university, read three different forms of the same essay. One essay form exclusively…

Examines whether preschool children take the gender of the addressee into account when disputing during peer exchanges. Finds that both boys and girls modified their language use in mixed-sex groups, with boys using fewer commands when more girls were present, and girls using more contradictions in mixed-sex than same-sex groups. (SR)

Examines the effects of sex, age, and type of school on expletive use in a sample of 160 adolescents. Fails to support stereotyped expectations of coy, nonswearing females, but supports the hypothesis that there is a relationship between social power and expletive usage. (RDS)

The research of W. O'Barr and B. K. Atkins found that the use of "women's language" features--the use of tag questions, interrogative intonation, sex-specific vocabulary, hedges and fillers, empty adjectives, and hypercorrect grammar; the inability to tell jokes; and the tendency to use fewer expletives than men--was associated more with…