Deborah Tannen wrote the article sex, lies and conversation man and his wife are present in a small gathering in Virginia. The man is really talkative throughout the event. However, when he is complimented for his ability to express himself; he answers that in reality he is quite and his wife is the talkative one. Women tend to complain about their husbands been quiet. This is caused by the way men express themselves compared to women.…
Can differences in communication between men and women be defined as black and white? Deborah Tannen’s essay “But What Do You Mean” divided the biggest areas of miscommunication between men and women into seven categories, three of which caught my attention for personal reasons. As examined, women have a habit of apologizing to maintain a pleasant atmosphere. Tannen expressed how men and women react to complaints, as well. Jokes were also discussed, suggesting that men razz each other to maintain a one-up position; however, women’s jokes tend to put themselves down. Regarding Tannen’s description of these three communication categories, my personal experiences fall more within a grey area rather than assigning themselves to black and white roles.…
In Tannen’s case she brings up a time when she attends a women’s group meeting where they had invited men. In this meeting she mentions a talkative man who had been participating a lot in the discussion while his wife remained silent. Tannen says “That women frequently complain that their husbands don’t talk to them” (311). That man agrees with her assertion. Tannen’s later supports her arguments by listing studies further on the matter of gender communication. Power follows this by listing her conversation with a colleague who tells her “ You Westerners make love in public and pray in private. We Muslims do exactly the reverse” (301). She lists example from culture and her study on this matter.…
There is a large problem when it comes to communication between men and women, whether it is between children, teenagers, or adults; because of a cross gender society. Once both sides understand this "cross-culture communication" problem, so that no gender is blamed, improvement will naturally occur. Deborah Tannen, is an award winning writer and a best selling author for her eccentric essays based on differences of male and female conversations. In the essay, "Sex, Lies and Conversation" she writes on the many distinctions of the style of conversations on both men and women.…
In Debrah Tannen’s essay on “Why Is It So Hard For Men and Women to Talk to Each Other,” she tries to inform us of this lack of communication between men and women and the problems that it can cause. The author starts off by giving the reader an example of a situation involving a man and his wife where the husband would comment on how much his wife is the talker in the family and how she is always talking when she is at home. This demonstrates that men generally talk more in public situations, while women tend to talk more at home. She follows up by talking about how most of the women that divorced gave lack of…
Wonder Woman hated men when she first set off to the world from her home, Themyscira, but later understood that she was wrong in her initial assessment of men because she simply didn’t understand men. In Deborah Tannen’s essay, “Sex, Lies, and Conversation”, the often misunderstood forms of communication between men and women are explored. Gloria Steinem, American feminist who is a nationally recognized leader of the women’s liberation movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s, who expressed how she felt Wonder Woman is an exemplary model of what a feminist is. I believe Steinem would agree with many of Tannen’s views because they are rational, based on research and her essay is meant to bring the two genders to better understand one another.…
In today's Society conversations between males and females has become difficult. There are a lot of miscommunications between males and females. In Deborah Tannen’s article “ Sex, Lies and Conversations” Tannen talks about how men and women talk differently to each other as well as the misunderstandings between each. She believed that no one person was at fault, whereas the differences caused by sexual standards. I feel that communication changes between males and females when in a different age group. These groups range from children, to teens, and adults.…
Sex, Lies, and Conversation is a very interesting piece written by Deborah Tannen in which she discusses how men and women communicate in different ways, albeit with each other or with the opposite sex. She lists three different points which are, how contact is made in these conversations, how each other reacts to this contact, and we were all raised and taught differently in communication, determined by our sex. She drives home these points throughout her piece by using cold hard facts to support her claims.…
The communication style of men is more direct. Men are more dominate and may take offence or feel put down when women offers to help and add input in a conversation. Men can come to decisions quickly and on their own. In contrast, women like to discuss the issue with others and ask for opinions before making a decision. Women use communication to build relationships and collaboration to bond with others. Men are usually uncomfortable discussing feelings or showing emotion. Men want to solve a problem and move forward. However, women tend to like to discuss personal feelings, show emotions, and invite input from others. Thus, challenges arise between men and women. For example, after a long day I like to come home and vent to my boyfriend. His interpretations are that I am a constant complainer when really I just want to express my personal…
In this chapter, Floyd (2011) discusses the many ways that gender affects interpersonal relationships. He describes is as a “defining feature of our identity, shaping the way we think, look, and communicate” (p. 51). It is explained that each gender culture puts emphasis on different parts of the relationship. Women come to value communication and closeness, while men value taking part in activities together (Floyd, 2011, p. 57). This makes sense when I think about how I communicate with men versus with women.…
To conclude with, I would say that the differences between men and women –in their communication styles doesn’t mean that one’s sex whether it be man or woman is better than the other; it simply means that both styles of communication are equally effective to that gender.…
This text by Andrew Keen is as the title alludes to “Sex, lies and the Internet”. It is obvious that Andrew Keen, who wrote this in his book from 2007, is critical of the media the Internet, which, in this text’s example, abuses the opportunity people have to meet each other virtually. It is obvious why he is pointing out two really serious stories posted on two different Web sites, because they make his argumentation for clamming that the Internet Is only up to bad things even stronger. Basically it is about people making fun of virtual places to meat. In this case a marketplace for one-night stands, and think it is a risk-free platform due to it is “an editorless medium where the only rules are that there are no rules”. He is here refereeing to the story with the Seattle…
Due to cross-cultural differences between genders such as gender role association, observational learning and operant conditioning men and women communicate differently. Because of communication differences between genders they…
Deborah Tannen, whose book, You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, was on the New York Times Best Seller list for nearly four years and brought gender differences in communication style to the general public. Tannen contends that differences between the communication styles of women and men are the result of more than culture and socialization, but are inherent in the basic make up of each gender. (Tannen, 1990)…
There is no single person in this world who has never told a lie. No matter how big or small, direct or indirect, verbal or non-verbal; we all have told a lie. The problem with lying is most of the time your lies comes to light. Knapp and Vangelisiti state, “If acts of omission, exaggeration, vagueness, evasiveness, and substitution are all part of the act of lying, than everybody lies” (2006, p. 248). Whether you wore your sister’s dress, after she said no, only to have her come home with the dress in the dirty clothes and you tell her you did not wear it. Or you went out to eat with an ex-lover and told your partner you went with a friend, only for your partner to see that same friend at the gas station. It is all lying and deceiving. We live in a society where lying and “sugar-coating”, which is not fully telling the truth, has become more and more acceptable. In our personal relationships lying can have a detrimental effect; whether we accept it or not lying and deception affects our communication in our personal relationships as well.…