I kinda qualifiers, hedges, tag questions. Men s Speech Stresses Content Level Meaning n Tends to regard talk as a way to exert control, preserve indepenence, entertain and enhance status. Conversation is an arena for proving oneself and negotiating prestige. Men often use talk to establish and defend their personal status and ideas by asserting themselves, telling jokes and stories or by challenging others. When they wish to comfort or support another, they typically do so by respecting the other s independence and avoiding communication they regard as condescending.
Men tend to avoid disclosing personal information.
Men s talk includes instrumentality the use of speech to accomplish instrumental objectives. Problem-solving efforts used. In most contexts, men talk more than women and for longer periods. Men express themselves in fairly direct and assertive ways. Men interrupt more than women.