2). Do you agree that men and women use language differently? In what areas? Discuss this in detail.
I do agree that men and women use language differently, however not in the same way the book describes. The book talks about women and men growing up in different cultures and its effect on language. While I believe this to be true, I feel that there has been a change in our current culture. I have noticed that some men are actually more communicative than I am. This could be because I am also foreign... In my culture women internalize things and do not necessarily ask too many questions. Unfortunately I grew up like this and it was difficult to actually say what was on my mind. I feel that there is a closing gap in terms of our differences in communication. My boyfriend was bothered by the fact that I didn't always say what was bothering me or what I was thinking in general. It was odd to me to date someone that was actually more open to communication than I was. While I feel this has changed, I don't think the other ways men and women use language will. My boyfriend loves watching 'Cops' and goes on long rants about how all of the ones arrested should plead the fifth. While these are his external thoughts during the show I cant help but think of other aspects such as why that person would lead a life that would result in their crimes... It truly is interesting how the minds work!
I personally related to your post also in how I interpreted this section of the book. My fiance and I have somewhat different communication methods. Surprisingly being the male, I tend to communicate a bit more that my fiance. She describes that the reason for her lack of communication is that when she was growing up, she was actually discouraged from sharing her thoughts and opinions. I found this interesting, given that even within my own culture, women are often dissuaded from contributing their thoughts, ideas, and considerations. How far we've come with women's rights, and yet how far we still have to travel.
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