ABSTRACT
Women and men use language differently. This assumption has been documented in academic research (e.g., DeFransisco, 1991; Tannen, 1994; Trudgill, 1972) and in popular media, including movies like My Fair Lady, Erin Brockovich, and What Women Want; self-help books such as John Grey’s Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars and Deborah Tannen’s You Just Don’t Understand; talk shows like Oprah!; and fashion magazines such as Glamour and YM. From this perspective, our communication-and miscommunication-as women and men stem from our “natural” differences, which have led us to grow up in and experience separate, gendered cultures. The popularity of the “Venus and Mars” approach has been partly responsible for a growing awareness of language and gender issues in a variety of contexts: in intimate relationships, within family dynamics, in the workplace, and in the classroom.
