Politeness, although positively valued today, was once a sign of humility. The primary function of politeness was to recognize people of a higher status in society. Since females historically addressed their husband with reverence, it may explain why females are often found more polite in anthropological studies. Nonetheless, whether sarcastic or not, the truth remains that women used more polite forms than men, and that women most likely learned confrontational strategies using the language forms they inherited from history. Research to date indicates that men tend to control topics of conversation and to interrupt women.
Women tend to raise more questions and to give minimal responses to maintain harmonious exchanges.
Men talk more, contrary to what is commonly believed, and are more likely to use a vernacular style in private while females use a standard and polite language. These conclusions, however, should be considered with caution since language use also varies according to situational conditions.