Deborah Tannen

Ohana The first day entering this world, we see what we consider to be “family.” A mom, a dad, and one or two siblings. They are the people we know. We go to them for comfort. We go to them in triumph. We go to them whenever. They are family. Family is there in times of need, sorrow, happiness... so what’s to say someone who provides those needs isn’t family. Who says that a tattered old piece of paper, decides who we call family. Is this really what family is? As a child a popular…

Throughout childhood one may encounter society’s invisible hand pushing one’s characteristics into certain gender blueprints as well as how one should act according to their respected sex. John Steinbeck once wrote, “Names are a great mystery. I've never known whether the name is molded by the child or the child changed to fit the name. But you can be sure of this- whenever a human has a nickname it is a proof that the name given him was wrong.” The name one is given can be compared to ones…

clearly not at fault, as it was an accident, but she continued to say sorry anyway. With the finding that women are more likely to apologize for such “space offences”, this type of behavior conforms to the genderlect theory even though it is not verbal. Tannen (1990) believes that “to most women, conflict is a threat to connection—to be avoided at all costs” (p. 150). The act…

end up agreeing to professor beliefs and the different concepts taught to them. In many ways men and women behave differently. The linguistic exclusion is the barrier that prevents many new college students from excelling the academics. As Deborah Tannen discusses in her article, “How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently,” men are more upfront and strong in stating their opinions while women are more quiet and self-contained. Since men want to show their dominance, they…

Additionally, throughout the poem there are specific mentions of the Catholic Church’s and or their God’s weakness in comparison with the freedom of the fair folk and Fenians which Oisin experienced in the Otherworld. An example of this is when Oisin is relating their revelries after a battle with the demon, he exclaims: We sang the loves and angers without sleep, And all the exultant labours of the strong. But now the lying clerics murder song with barren words and flatteries of the weak.…

Tannen takes these perceived differences one step further; what can they be used for in a classroom? She proposes that male and female students function differently in a classroom environment, and that by playing to the way their brains work differently…

fundamental for the development of a student, in the old Greece the education used to be taught by the spoken word, so the student and teacher had more interactions and discussions, therefore the understanding of the subject was easily grasped. Ms. Deborah Tannen explain why males participate in class more often than females in her article “How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently”. Meanwhile,…

Within western culture, gender is assigned by means of sex assessment which dictates everything they should and should not do. Gendered interaction is enforced starting from birth—messages of gender and its expectations guide children as they grow, drawing influences from the media, religion, and community. Failure to follow the expectations of an assigned designation can result in children forced to play with toys and engage in occupations that they do not enjoy to avoid social ridicule and…

leave the reader with the opportunity to think about the message the essay had to offer. I think some essays we read this year had more powerful conclusions than others. One of the essays that had a powerful conclusion is Deborah Tannen’s essay But What Do You Mean? Tannen ends her essay, which was about how women and men have different ways of speaking and areas of miscommunication, by stating that there is no “right” way to talk. She also says that when you want to get your message across,…

Gender has shaped me into the person I am today. During the middle of Sophomore year there was a time of realization, men and women shouldn't act a certain way because society asks them to. Men should be able to dress how they want, and women should be able to speak to whomever they want without being labeled. I will not allow gender to define me, nor will I let gender roles shape me into the person I am going to become. Growing up, we've all had gender ideals put into our minds. Girls need to…