GENDER-PREFERENTIAL LANGUAGE USE IN SPOUSE AND STRANGER INTERACTION

Research on sex differences in the communication practices of men and women often ignores the contexts in which communication takes place. B y comparing women and men as they interact with both strangers and spo uses, the authors present a more nuanced view of gender differences in social interaction. The authors discuss gender-preferential language and present data on social interaction in same-sex, mixed-sex and mari tal dialogues. Results of a round-robin analysis of variance indicate that same-sex dyadic conversations, but not mixed-sex dyadic conversat ions, are marked by a strong display of stereotypical gender-preferent ial linguistic use. Husbands tend to adopt a female-preferential lingu istic style when. speaking to their wives.