1. Allison Vaughan
COMS 3301
April 29, 2015
Theory Competency Paper # 3
Genderlect Styles
The major premise of the Genderlect Styles theory is that differences that exist between
male and female communication styles are vast enough that communication between genders can
be deemed cross-cultural. The term Genderlect, which sounds similar to the word dialect, serves
to emphasize that communication between men and women is like the communication between
people of two separate cultures. Though the use of words being spoken may be the same, the
meaning and values that men and women attribute provide linguistic differences in
communication styles.
A professor at Georgetown University, Deborah Tannen teaches linguistics while
focusing her research on conversational style. (p 432) Her bestselling book You Just Don’t
Understand “was rated by hundreds of mental health professionals as the best of 1,000 self-help
books” and provides much of the groundwork for Genderlect Styles. (p 441) Through Genderlect
Styles, Tannen has contributed a way to explain differences in male-female communication
styles. Tannen’s theory is unique because it equalizes the communication styles of men and
women seeking to focus on the inherent differences in gender communication rather than on the
feminist perspective of gender communication as a means of oppression.

2. Genderlect styles rests in between an objective and an interpretative approach. The
objective nature can be seen in the major premise of the theory, that men are one way and
women are another. These differences are innate and not caused by any conscious acts. The fact
that differences exist is not up for interpretation. However, the theory is based on finding
meaning in the communication styles of men and women. Deciphering the use of language and
symbols in communication styles and how they differ between genders is more of an
interpretative matter. The theoretical traditions of the theory are semiotic and socio-cultural. The
semiotic tradition relates to the use of words as symbols. Culture provides the symbolic meaning
of words. Since Genderlect Styles assumes that male-female communication is cross-cultural,
men and women will interpret words and symbols in different ways. The socio-cultural tradition
describes connection between culture and language. The linguistic differences evident in male
and female communication styles are representative of the larger difference in culture.
Examining linguistic differences provides a clue as to what separates the male culture from the
female culture.
One of the strengths of the Genderlect Styles theory is that it provides a way to explain
the differences in male and female communication evident in Tannen’s study of second grade
boys and girls in which Tannen observed vast communicational differences between genders.
“There is no evidence that we grow out of these differences as we grow up”. (p 432) Separating
male and female communication as occurring from different cultures is a simple and neat way to
explain observable differences in conversational style. The simplicity of the theory provides a
strong clarification of values of men and women and gives the theory aesthetic appeal. It also
provides a new understanding of people by providing examples of male vs female
communication styles. A limitation of the theory is that it lacks a strong community of

3. agreement. One reason for this is that Genderlect Styles attempts to place male and female
communication into separate categories without accounting for overlap or variations within each
category. “…most gender researchers spot more diversity within each gender than between
them”. (p 441) Another reason is that Genderlect Styles equalizes male-female communication,
though historically this has not been the case. The equalization of gender communication ignores
the feminist perspective of male language as domineering and female language as submissive.
The movie He’s Just Not That Into You provides an application of the theory by showing
that male and female communication holds distinct differences. One of the main plots of the
movie involves the main character, Gigi, attempting to forge intimate relationships with a string
of guys, only to be rejected at every turn. According to Genderlect Styles this is explained by the
concept that women have a strong desire for human connection, while men have an equally
strong desire for independence. “When they’re together, women’s longing for intimacy threatens
men’s desire for freedom…” (p433) Therefore, while Gigi is seeking a connection in the form of
an intimate relationship, the men that she is seeing are on a conflicting quest for independence,
causing them to pull away while she attempts to draw them closer. The movie goes one step
further in validating Tannen’s research that differences in communication are evident in
childhood. In the start of a monologue in the movie, Gigi states “Girls are taught a lot of stuff
growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you.” (Barrymore, D.; Disco, M.; Juvonen, N.,
Stroman, G. & Kwapis, K., 2009) While not necessarily true, her statement shows what is at the
root of Genderlect Styles, that while girls are taught one thing, boys are often taught another,
contributing to what appears to be communication coming from two different cultures.

4. Barrymore, D.; Disco, M.; Juvonen, N., Stroman, G. (Producer), & Kwapis, K. (Director). (Date
of publication). He’s Just Not That Into You [Motion picture].United States: New Line
Cinema.
Griffin, Em, Andrew Ledbetter, and Glenn Sparks. A First Look At Communication Theory. 9th
ed. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015. Web. 29 April. 2015.