Differences in Men’s and Women’s Speech Essay Example for Free

Differences in Men’s and Women’s Speech Essay Many works have been devoted to the differences in communication between people. It has been proved that such factors as the interlocutors’ education or the status of the relationship influence people’s utterances. Furthermore, linguists claim that also biological sex influences the choice of language people use to communicate with each other. In discourse on different ways of communication of males and females, linguists have resigned with the term â€Å"sex† replacing it by the â€Å"gender† which refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and the attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. For most academics gender communication focuses on the expressions used by one gender in the relationships and roles between people. First of all, men and women approach communication with a distinct set of rules and interpretations of talk. While men focus on status and independence, women in the same time focus on intimacy and connection and this difference might make communication between the sexes problematic. Deborah Tannen states that communication between men and women can be like cross cultural communication, prey to a clash of conversational styles (Tannen, 2001). In a similar manner to Tannen, John Gray (1992) presents theory that women use a lot of artistic words expressions like metaphors, comparisons or generalizations in their speech which men understand literally causing miscommunication between the sexes. He also states that men are more direct and straight in their speech. However he declares that in addition to a communication difference, there is a difference in thinking, feeling, perception, etc. Jennifer Coates (1986) wrote about her studies involving gender separated discussion groups. From her observations she noted that women reveal a lot about their private lives in their conversations, stick to one topic for a long time, let all speakers finish their sentences and try to have everyone participate. In contrast, men discussed things other than their personal relationships and feelings, change topics frequently, dominate conversations and establish a hierarchy in communication over time. The influence of gender differences begins very early in childhood and can shape the communication of style of the adult (Tannen, 2001). Studies on children show that there are language differences between boys and girls as early as nursery. Tannen highlights differences in the way young girls and boys use language in childhood, stating  that girls make requests, use language to create harmony and use more words while boys make demands, create conflict and use more actions. The differences in adults are thought to stem from influences in childhood such as parents and playtime tools. In the first few years of life girls are more used to physical touch by their mothers during childhood compared with boys. Women therefore use touch to express caring, empathy and emotions. In contrast, men regard touch as way to communicate sexual interest, orders, and as a symbol of control. Men are more competitive and verbally assertive due to childhood influences of toys such as guns and swords. Summing up, persons communication skills in addition to being partially genetic are therefore also shaped by factors such as society and culture.

Slavery And Its Effect On The Uprising Of A New World Essay -- Slavery

â€Å"Slavery and Its Effect On The Uprising Of A New World† In the 17th century, Africans were taken from their homeland and forced into slavery in the New World. Once there, they were exploited for profit by European settlers. Despite mainstream historical accounts, it was African-Americans who built the foundation of the American economy, which eventually made it a super power. This essay will illustrate how Blacks survived in a hostile, racist environment by specifically looking at the psychological and physical brutality of slavery. The Portuguese were the first to embark upon the slave trade. Africans were snatched from their homeland and sold as slaves to the islands of the Caribbean and the Americas in the early 1500s. A prime area for slaves was on the west coast of African. People inhabiting this land were well known for their skills in agriculture, farming, and mining. Slave traders knew that by capitalizing on the mastery talents of these Africans they could become wealthy in other parts of the world. The Spaniards, the French, and the Dutch soon became part of the slave trade, and because of this, slavery grew to exponential proportions. The typical voyage for slaves taken by European traders started down the south coast of Africa into the Gulf of Guinea. They traded African slaves—human beings—for goods such as cloth, rum, brandy and guns. Then they would start on the second leg of this inhumane excursion. When the desired number of Africans was met, they shipped out to what is now known as the â€Å"Middle Passage†. These ships sailed from Africa across the Atlantic Ocean to one of several ports in the Caribbean and West Indies and slaves were bought and sold to work in sugar plantations. The English sla... ...ere often times forced to stop nursing their own infants at the breast and serve as a wet nurse to the master’s newborn. Regardless of age, picking cotton, more than any other activity, engaged all slaves – from the youngest to the elderly. House servants, too, were not excluded and would be drafted into the picking fields, probably to serve as a reminder of their position and equal status to the other slaves. In summary, the labor of African slaves built the foundation of the thriving economy the people of America, and across the world, reap the benefits of today. The label in our t-shirts and the soft, comfortable sheets we tuck our children in at night should read, â€Å"Made in the USA by AFRICANS†! The blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors built this country and made it what it is today – one of the largest, if not â€Å"the† largest, super-power in the world.

Intake Interview

Patient: Smith, Jane DOB: 06/ 13/ 1985 Date of Interview: 02/05/2010 Date of Report: 02/06/2010 IDENTIFYING INFORMATION: Ms. Smith is a 24 year old white woman currently residing in Vancouver, WA. She is employed as a hairstylist and currently lives in an apartment with two friends and their newborn son. Ms. Smith has been seen for mental health symptoms previously as a teenager, and was referred again on this visit by a colleague. The following report information is based on information collected from my interview with the patient, her medical chart, and psychological testing. CHIEF COMPLAINT: â€Å"I feel like sometimes my life is too much to handle. It makes me sick to think about things and I am not sure I can stand much more. I feel like there is no hope. I am all alone and I think I will always be alone. † HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS: Ms. Smith says she frequently suffers from anxiety attacks and is often times unable to cope with stress while at work. She states she feels sweaty, weak and dizzy when thinking about life. Over the last two years she has been unable to relax, often has difficulty falling or staying asleep, and often feels ill and tired. She says her primary way of coping is alcohol. When unable to drink she reports her anxiety levels being â€Å"unbearable† and tries to stay away from social interaction. She also reports that her anxiety increases after nights of drinking as she feels like everyone is watching her. Ms. Smith has been diagnosed with high blood pressure which may be caused by her weight gain over the last three years. SOCIAL HISTORY: Ms. Smith is currently single and has no children. She was living with her father until she was forced to leave after a domestic dispute caused a no contact order between them two years ago. Her mother and father separated four years ago and her mother moved out of their house into her own apartment. She states that until the separation she heavily relied on both parents for social and financial support. She has two older sisters, both of whom do not live in the area. While she says that one sister is caring she describes the other as â€Å"self-centered† and says she has a hard time staying close to either due to location. She recalls her childhood as â€Å"normal† although she felt like her parent’s attention was given primarily to her sisters. She says that she has a large group of friends, but tries to hide her emotional distress and anxiety from them as she does not want to be burdensome. Ms. Smith reports suffering from significant financial distress after moving out of her parents. She also says she is unhappy with her living situation and the new addition to their household. Ms. Smith also shows great concern over being single and without a relationship since she was 16. She attributes her problems in dating to her gain in weight and says it has dramatically decreased her self esteem. CURRENT/PAST PYCHIATRIC HISTORY: Ms. Smith reports that at age 16 she visited a mental health clinic for the same symptoms and was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and depression. She was prescribed an antidepressant and also attended counseling sessions one to two times weekly. Ms. Smith said that her symptoms improved within six months and she discontinued both the use of her prescription and counseling. She said after discontinuation symptoms once again started to reappear, however with less intensity, until the past few years when intensity has increased. CURRENT AGGRESSIVE IDEATION AND BEHAVIORNO X YES ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE HISTORYNO YES X Patient reports that she consumes alcohol on average five times a week. She drinks five to ten drinks per sitting. She also reports that on occasion the smokes marijuana. While Ms. Smith states that she does not think alcohol or drugs are negatively affecting her, she does report increased anxiety and paranoia after drinking. She has also been ticketed and charged for having a controlled substance after her car was searched for a routine traffic violation. DSM- IV DIAGNOSTIC IMPRESSIONS AXIS I: Generalized Anxiety Disorder Dysthymic Disorder AXIS II: Deferred AXIS III: High Blood Pressure AXIS IV: Adjustment to weight gain and changes in finances, social support, and lifestyle AXIS X: Global Assessment of Functioning Scale Score: 80 CLINICAL FORULATION: Ms. Smith presents as very depressed and anxious. Her symptoms appear to be that of dysthymic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. I believe that these are onset by interlinked biological, psychological and social factors. It is likely that the dysthymic disorder results from maladaptive, flawed, or irrational cognitions taking the form of distorted thoughts and judgments. Ms. Smith has experienced traumatic family situations, unwanted separation, as well as lack of social support from family and friends. It appears that these have caused her to feel negatively about herself which has affected her feeling of self-worth and ability to successfully respond to the tasks and stressors present in daily living. It is likely that these maladaptive behaviors were learned from friends or family. These stressors are causing increased anxiety and hopelessness. The anxiety disorder developed a result of not being able to cope with the dysthymic disorder. Due to the fact that these are so closely intertwined, without treatment the depression and anxiety Ms. Smith is experiencing, as well as alcohol dependency will likely worsen. TREATMENT PLAN: Outpatient therapy may involve medication and/or therapy. Behavior therapy will help Ms. Smith to examine her behaviors as to determine exactly what is decreasing her mood or keeping her from achieving goals. This therapy should be conducted in individual therapy sessions, one or more times a week until symptoms improve. As well as therapy Ms. Smith should be prescribed an antidepressant to deal with the contributing biological factors. Ms. Smith should seek evaluation for alcohol and drug dependency, as it appears she is using these substances for self medication. It is important that she discontinues use in order to learn new coping mechanisms.

Power of Love in Othello and Pride and Prejudice - 1908 Words

Compare and contrast how Shakespeare and Austen present the power of love in Othello and Pride and Prejudice. In order for love to be true it must come from both sides equally. Its power will not be strong enough to overcome all obstacles if its foundation is not pure. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen paints a portrait of the power of love as merely unbreakable whereas Shakespeare arguably portrays it as weak and vulnerable. Both Shakespeare and Austen use dialogue as a tool for the construction of their characters. Although Austen relies on narration as well as speech, Shakespeare relies completely on speech as Othello is a play. Arguably, before ‘the moor’ arrives in the play, he is described as an ‘old black rum’ by the ‘malicious’†¦show more content†¦With most characters in Austen’s novel, they often tend to give a different impression of themselves from the one they intended; a type of irony present in Austen’s novel. An illustration of this is Mrs Bennett, who adopts a sentence structure which is long and rambling, portraying her as a woman of ‘mean understanding, little information and uncertain temper’ (pg 7). The use of the triple syntactical structure by the narrator is forcing this painted portrait of Mrs Bennett’s character on the reader, and therefore right from chapter one this is how we think of her till th e very end of the book. The phrase ‘little information’ could also reflect on her moral status in the novel. Due to her ‘little information’, Mrs Bennett usually talks about inappropriate or unnecessary subject matters. For example, during chapter 9, Mrs Bennett’s states she ‘dine with four and twenty families’ (pg 43). This choice of subject matter is firstly unnecessary and inappropriate constructing her as narrow minded. Additionally, not being able to speak appropriately is punished by receiving a lower moral status in the novel than those who are able to such as the Gardiners. CouldShow MoreRelatedEssay On Love Marriage And Death In Othello1459 Words   |  6 Pages Love, marriage and death. Shakespeare play Othello revolved around these 3 beside the central character Iago who had important role in causing this tragedy. Iago was pure evil that showed through his behaviour and his ability of manipulating others and we can’t forget that he was the cause of Othello destruction because of his wickedness, prejudices and intolerance toward him. All these points was the reason for the differ between many critics when interpreting his role. Read MoreOthello Has Been Described as ‘Fatally Self-Centered’ and ‘Lacking in Self-Knowledge’.1397 Words   |  6 PagesOthello has been described as ‘fatally self-centered’ and ‘lacking in self-knowledge’. Evaluate Shakespeare’s presentation of Othello in view of this. There have been two traditional views about Shakespeare’s presentation of Othello’s character. One of those is that Othello has been described as ‘fatally self- centered’ and ‘lacking in self knowledge’. According to Collins dictionary, self-centered describes someone who is only concerned with their own wants and needs and never thinks aboutRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1358 Words   |  6 Pagesrealizing. His main purpose in Othello is to entrap and deceive the hero. In this scene we discover Iago’s hate towards Othello and his motives to ruin him; one of them being Othello’s recent promotion of Michael Cassio to the post of lieutenant. In spite of Iago’s service in battle and the recommendation from the ‘three great ones of the city’, Othello chose to give the position to a ‘Florentine’ that ‘never set a squadron in the field’. Iago only follows Othello to ‘serve my turn upon him’. IagoRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Othello The Moor Of Venice1745 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Othello the Moor of Venice, is a tragedy of great manipulation and jealousy that exploits the evil in people and how one could take advantage of another based on their weaknesses and flaws; perfect people do not exist in a world filled of temptation, failure, and suffering as Shakespeare proves the consequences of being trustful and naà ¯ve. People of Venice must be aware of the p eople around them and who they trust because one should live with a reasonable mind in order to avoidRead MoreIs Othello a Tragic Hero? Essay1479 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent can Othello be considered a ‘tragic hero’? The extent of which Othello is a tragic hero has been open to much debate; the basis on which he is judged falls to Aristotle’s established view of the crucial elements that distinguish whether a person is truly tragic. According to Aristotle, a tragic protagonist is a nobleman or person from high status, who contributes to his own demise and illustrates a flaw or weakness in judgment. The tragic protagonist must make a fall from a highRead MoreEssay on The Role of the Opening Act of William Shakespeares Othello1819 Words   |  8 PagesThe Role of the Opening Act of William Shakespeares Othello The play Othello portrays the story of the protagonist Othello (The Moor) and his loved one- Desdemona- and his struggles to overcome a racist society in 17th century Venice. In the meantime Iago, one of Othello’s closest friends’ plots revenge on him, as Othello passed him over for an important position in the army and gave it to Cassio, an outsider from Florence. The outcome of the play reveals that Iago’sRead MoreThe Theme Of Evil In Shakespeares Othello2010 Words   |  9 Pageshimself? Is Iago evil? Essentially, Iago could be described as the central trouble-making, ill-willed character of the play; he leads a lot of the characters into a state of confusion, convincing them to think poorly and wrong of other figures in Othello that are in fact innocent of their accused crimes. But does this make him an evil individual? Let us begin by defining the word evil. An evil person may be considered as somebody who condones bad or morally wrong activities that cause ruin,Read MoreThe Upside And Hardship Of Hamlet From Hamlet By William Shakespeare2052 Words   |  9 PagesThe Upside to Hardship The three characters, Hamlet from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Pi from Life of Pi, all must overcome hardships in order to be successful in life. It is apparent that each of these characters has his own struggle to go through. However, each struggle helps the character to become stronger in his own way. These struggles give the characters strive to achieve a goal, and eventually each character is able to achieveRead MoreHow Does Mary Shelley Create a Sense of Dread and Horror Up to Chapter 5 in the Novel ‘Frankenstein’?6870 Words   |  28 PagesPrometheus is because in Greek mythology, Prometheus was the titan who stole fire from god and gave it to man. Victor stole the secret of creation of life from god in a way because he created a being in the likeness of a man. He stole this ‘fire’ or power and bought it to man just like Prometheus did. Mary Shelley evokes a sense of horror when Victor Frankenstein says in (chapter 5): â€Å"It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils.† This was when Victor createsRead MoreLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 Pagesaltar and accepted Christ as his savior, but in his heart, he knew that he had not experienced salvation. That night in bed, Langston wept and admitted to God that he had lied, that he had waited for Jesus and he hadnt come. He felt unworthy of love. Not only had he been abandoned by his parents, but Jesus had not transformed his soul and saved him from sin. Many years later he wrote a poem, Genius Child. In the poem, he compares a child to an eagle that cannot be tamed, with a soul that runs