跨文化交际--性别差异

Genderdifferencesininterculturalcommunication摘要：跨性别交际是跨文化交际的一种形式。在男性与女性交际的过程中，尤其是在口头交际的过程中，他们在语言的使用上存在着许多方面的差异。这些语言差异源于男性与女性不同的心理特征、性别角色、社会分工、社会偏见、以及权势和支配欲。性别差异不仅是生物学上的差异，而主要是一种文化构建。这些差异必定会给两性之间交际带来困难，甚至是交际失误。因此，只有了解不同性别的交际规则，培养性别文化差异意识，才能避免由性别差异而导致的交际失误，成为成功的跨文化交际者。关键词：跨性别交际差异原因建议PARTI:DifferencesbetweenmenandwomenincommunicationNowadays,itisnecessaryformenandwomentocommunicatewitheachothereveryday.Buttheirdifferentcommunicativestylesoftenbringaboutdoubts,misunderstandings,evenconflictsintheircommunication,especiallyininterculturalcommunication.Thedifferencesalwayslieinthefollowingaspects:1)Differentvocabularies:Womentendtousemilderexpletives,suchas“Darnit!”;whilemenaremorelikelyusevulgarwords,suchas“Damn”“Shit”tocurseothers.Womentendtousemilderexclamations,suchas“Oh,dear!”“Goddess”;whilemenaremorelikelytouse“God!”“Mygod!”.Womenoftenusesomeemptyextravagantadjectivesandhyperbolestoexpressemotionsinsteadofofferinginformation,suchasadorable,charming,cute,andlovely.Itwouldbefunnyformentosaythesewords.Womenaremorelikelytouseeuphemism.Ifmenuse“hell”,womenoftensay“theotherplace”.2)Differentsentences:Menandwomenoftenchoosedifferentsentences.Mentendtousedeclarativesentencesandimperativesentences.Theyexpresstheirownopinionsdirectlytorequireordemandsomething;whilewomenoftenuseinterrogativequestions,milderimperativesentencestoexpresstheiropinionsindirectly.Womenareoftenmorelikelytousecompoundrequests.Forexample“Ifyoudon’thaveanythingbettertodo,whydon’tyoucleanyourroom?”Womenaremorelikelytousethistypeofstatementbecausetheyaresocializedtobepolite.Mentendtousemorepowerfullanguageformsthatgetattentionormakethemseemtobemoreknowledgeableandcapable.Forinstance,theyaremorelikelytomakestatementswhattheybelieve,suchas“Thisisthebestpizzainthistown.”3)Differentstyles:3.1.Establishingequalrelationship:Ifonewomansaystoanotherwoman:“Mybikewasstolenyesterday”,thelistenerwouldreplythesameexperienceshehashadandcomplainthebadluck.Thesewordscaneliminatethefeelingofsolitudeofthespeaker,whichcancreateaninteractivespeechpattern.Ifmencomeacrossthissituation,menwouldtellwomentheyshouldcallthepolicefirst.Menjustwanttoofferasolutionforwomenintrouble.3.2.Supportandsympathy:Inwomen’sconversation,therearefilledwithsupportandsympathy.Theyalwayscareforothers’feeling.Men,however,onlycareforthemselvesinsteadofpayingattentiontowomen’smood.Mentreatconversationasawaytoshowtoshowuptheircapability,knowledgeortalent.3.3.Powerandsocialstatus:Menaresupposedtobesuperior,sotheyspeakwithpowerfulstyle.Whenmentalkwithwomen,menoftencontroltheturnofthetopicsandthesequenceofthespeakers.Menofteninterrupttheconversationorgetthespeechfloor;menpaynoattentiontowomenbyreactingwiththeirminimalresponsessuchas“mhm”.Comparedwithmen,womenareinferiorandcontrolledbymen.Theyspeakwithpowerlessstyle.Whentheytalkwithmen,womenarepassiveandmodestbyusinginterrogativesentences,tagsentencesandsoon.Womenoftentreattheseasawaytodeveloptheconversationordrawattentionofmen.3.4.Continuationofconversation:Byraisingquestions,womenhopethatotherscancontinuetheconversation.Whenevertheyfinishatopic,theycanturntoanothersmoothly.Theprincipleofcooperationiswellrepresentedbywomen.Menoftenshowtheyarebusybyspeakingafewwordsandthenleavinghurriedly.3.5.Tone:Womenaremorefrequenttousesuperhighandlowtone.Thetonecanfullyexpressthespeakers’emotionandisoneofthecharacteristicsofwomen.Womenwouldliketoanswerquestionswithrisingtonetoshowtheiruncertainty.Womenaremorefrequenttousefalling-raisingtoneandraising-falling-raisingtone.Thefalling-raisingtoneshowshesitate-apologeticmeaningandtheraising-falling-raisingtoneanenthusiasticsituation.4)Differentstrategies:4.1.Directandindirect:Mentendtobedirectwhentheyexpressthemselves,whilewomenareoftenindirect.However,itisn’talwayslikethis.Insomecases,itisthewomenwhoareexpectingdirectstatementsandthemenwhoareexpressingthemselvesindirectly.Theissueisnotdirectnessorindirectness;theissueisthecurrentinterpretiveframework.4.2.Fittospecificenvironment:Accordingtoobservation,indifferentconversationenvironment,womenandmentendtospeakdifferently.Forexample,inabusinessmeeting,themostofthetalkwouldbedominatedbymen.However,mentendtobesullenandsilentwhentheyareathome.4.3.Intimacyandindependence:Hereisanexample.Josh,thehusband,getsacallfromanoldfriendwhowillbevisitingthetownthatJoshlivesin,andheimmediatelyinviteshimtostayattheirhouse.Later,whenhetellsLinda,thewife,sheisupsetbecausehedidn’tdiscussitwithherbeforemakingtheinvitation.Hetellsherthathedoesn’twanttobeseenasaskinghiswifeforpermissioninfrontofhisoldfriend.Fromthisexample,wecanseethatwhatisofconcerntothemanishisindependencewhileforthewomanitistheirintimacy.Inotherwords,heisconcernedforhisstatusasbeingfreetomakeuphisownmindwhereassheisconcernedfortheirconnection.4.4.Rapportandinformation:MenaremorelikelytousewhatgendercommunicationexpertDeborahTannencalls“report-makinglanguage”thatcentersonfacts,information,andgettingthejobdone.Womenaremorelikelytouse“rapport-buildinglanguage”whichconsidersmessagecontentandtherelationshipbetweenthepeoplecomm