Linguistic gender difference in Igbo

Despite a lack of gender-based distinctions in the structure oflgbo, a Kwa (Niger-Congo) language of southeastern Nigeria, sex differences in language use are expected. These are reflected in the concept talk like a woman, which is characterized by loquacity as well as deference to men, in contrast to men s expected taciturnity punctuated by verbal boldness. This study reports apilot analysis ofdiscourse in two mixed-gender groups: coworkers in a grocery and Professional couples connected as friends and neighbors. While the women in the study didmorefrequently use cooperative strategies, such as explanations and requests, than the men did (52% and 48%, respectively), they also used more confrontational strategies, such as criticism and accusation, than the men (55% and 45%, respectively). However, men exercised firm control over topic maintenance, shift, and interruptions with 62 percent of successful control instances, while all unsuccessful control attempts were initiated by women. The author argues that, although these apparent differences in conversational strategy accord in general with the hierarchical nature of Igbo male-female relationships and the consequent imbalance ofpower, it may be that both sets of strategies are intended to complementarily contribute toward making conversation cooperative. Further fieldwork will test both this hypothesis and the representativeness of the pilot study results

Igbo · Linguistics · Sociology · Anthropology · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Gender Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Philosophy

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