Introduction
The human race is an immensely complex species that exhibits immense variation. The most apparent similarities and differences are seen when you examine the ways the two genders communicate. Communication has an important role in human life as it is a means of expressing what one feels and thinks. Men think that women’s habits are weird while men think that women’s habits are strange. According to Tannen, each partner in a relationship operates within a different system and speaks a different genderlect. Paying a close attention to the way in which men and females communicate reveals some similarities as well as differences.
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Women’s friendship focuses on making connections. Talk is essential to this process. Women share relating experiences, secrets, reveal problems and discuss options especially during their early years of development (Tannen, 367) . Men engage in conversations that are action oriented. They focus on activities rather than communication. There sole goal in communication is to achieve something. However, both men and women communicate with an aim of creating a bond that will ensure that there is closeness.
Women try to get their points across by asking many questions. These questions may be deviant, rhetorical or informationa (Quindlen, l. They ask these questions with an aim of gathering data or oppose something. On the other hand, men’s contributions to arguments are direct and simple. Instead of asking questions, they are very straight forward with the point that they want to put across. Instead of making suggestions, men make statements. They may not even realize that a conflict is occurring (Baron, 65). They are concerned with being right and dismisses anyone else’s feelings. However, women are likely to consider the feelings of men in case a heated argument arises.
Men rarely apologize as compared to women. In case of a disagreement, women use apologies to create and maintain the connections that have been lost. Most of the time, women apologize so that things do not get worse (Tannen, 368). Contrary to this, men consider what an apology might do to their general reputation. It might lower them to a position that is subordinate. This makes them to avoid apologizing at all costs since men have never wanted to be subordinate: they always want to be superior.
Men like giving compliments while women like being complimented rather than complementing. Compliments are a way of reaching out to one another. Men volunteer evaluations. Although, they do compliment women, they rarely seek compliments because they do not like being critiqued (Quindlen, 221). Women like being praised or flattered. They ask questions so that they can be praised by men. Compliments boost a women’s ego and some men do use that chance to offer them advice (Quindlen, 223).
There is great variation in the emails sent by men and women (Tannen, 367). Men send messages that portray themselves as being experts in a given subject. Their style of interaction is more argumentative, employing insults, sarcasm and profanity. On the other hand, women’s mails revolve around relationships (Baron, 50). They send most emails so as to ask questions, make suggestions, apologize or offer thanks. They are generally less aggressive as compared to those sent by men.
In a nutshell, though the two sexes have diverse ways of communicating, they still share some similarities. Men tend to care for logic while women care about emotions. Men are aggressive while women tend to be submissive. However, they both communicate with an aim of creating a strong social bond. Though complicated, the two sexes have actually tried to structure their communications in a way that will demonstrate coherence.
Works cited
Baron-Cohen, Simon. (2003). The essential difference. New York: Basic Books.
Quindlen, A. (2008). Between the sexes, a great divide. In L. Petersen and J.C.Brereton (Eds.) The Norton reader. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
Tannen, D. (2012). Sex, lies, and conversation."In L.G. Kirszner and S.R.Mandell (Eds.) Patterns for college writing: a rhetorical reader and guide. (pp. 367-371). Boston:
