Language Variation

Our individual attitudes affect our thoughts about the way men and women speak. 

There are many myths that surround this topic. Do women speak more? Are men and women interested in talking about different subjects? Is taboo language more acceptable in speech of men than in speech of women? 

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - Self-help book - understand the language of the opposite gender. 

Many of the cliches of gender and language have been widely investigated - it is clear that many initial thoughts about gender and language are in fact myths!

What affects our language use?
The language differences between men and women can be encouraged and emphasised from a young age but usually the use of language falls onto context, situation and the way people see themselves. As well as: our preserved position in society, which can lead to social status, education, the media (emphasising the difference between the language of men and women,) occupation, sexuality and age.