Abstract:
This paper will argue the types of interaction that take place between a group of white
female college students. It will show the different ways they interact that follow the male
patterns of speech, rather than the female. Though men come from different social and
cultural standards, the observations shown in this paper will illustrate how similar
female/male interaction really is.
Introduction:
Maltz and Borker, “A Cultural Approach to Male-Female Communication,” claim that
male and females often experience miscommunication. These opposite sexes are brought
up different from one another because of society and cultural rules and often
miscommunicate. The features that men show while interacting are consistent in studies.
Males are more likely to interrupt the speech of their conversation partners. They also
like to compete and try to out do each other when interacting. Men use name calling more
often and use story telling, joke telling and performance in their interaction with one
another. A claim made by Maltz and Borker suggests that men act this way because of
the role of dominance in society. Males always want more power and try and continue
that role in conversation. Females usually do not show these characteristics in their
speech but in my observation these male styles of interaction dominate this female
conversation. Several instances occurred where male patterns of speech were obvious.
Several interruptions, name calling, and joke telling surrounds the interaction between the
female subjects. Maltz and Borker claim certain characteristics in male conversation but
could these be used for female conversation? Do certain males just play these roles? Or is
this style of talk more common in female college students?
Methods:
For my research, I observed my roommates using a video camera placed on a table in the
living room of our apartment. I taped them for about a half hour after dinner, around six
o’clock. There are three roommates in view of the camera, Charlotte, Greer, Melissa, and
one off camera, Erin. Using this method of observation I could get audio and video
footage useful in my claim. The camera was left on long enough to get several different
types of talk and interaction between the roommates.
Data:
Name Calling & Verbal Ridicule
The first set of observation deals with the male interaction of name-calling. My
three roommates are sitting down on a coach and Melissa is starting a conversation with
another one of them, Greer.
Transcript #1:
Melissa:
Yo Greer.
Greer:
Yo Melis.
Melissa:
Today was the first day that I skipped band (4) and you weren’t here for it.
Charlotte:
I convinced her.
Greer:
Fuck you! Fuck ya’ll! Fuck all ya’ll!

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This male pattern of speech happens when Greer responds aggressively to
Melissa. Men often use curse words directly at another male as opposed to women. On
the videotape, Greer didn’t make eye contact with Melissa while responding. She reacted
more generally, almost performing outward toward Melissa’s story. Men use these words
to gain and maintain audience, which is what Greer could be doing in these interactions.
Performing is another characteristic of male behavior, which I will go over again later in
my paper.
Transcription #2 deals with the same type of response coming from Greer. The
interaction takes place shortly after the beginning of Melissa’s story. She is still
discussing why she skipped band and Greer responds harshly with a name call.
Transcript #2
Greer:
Whhhhhy?
Melissa:
Because I think that I-I’m losing hearing in my ear.
Greer:
pfff. You’re haha an hahah idiot hahah

Melissa:
hahah no don’t laugh, it’s not funny.
Charlotte:
no, she really is. We had a very serious talk about it before.
Greer:
hahahaha
Maltz and Borker use the phrase verbal ridicule when describing the world of
boys. Often they will name call and say things like, “You’re a dolt.” This is exactly what
Greer did in response to Melissa’s concerned story about possibly losing hearing in her
ear. Another instance where this happens is a conversation between my roommates
Charlotte and Erin.
Transcript #3
Erin:
I’m addicted to Face book.
Charlotte:
Oh, my god, you’re such an ass pirate. 
The way which Charlotte and Erin interact describes this style perfectly. Charlotte
is showing aggressiveness and asserting her position in the conversation by poking fun at
Erin the way she did.
She talks about e-mail from her significant other and the response that Greer gives
her is a typical male one.
Transcript 4:
Erin: She said, “Hope you have a good day! Talk to you later!”
Charlotte: Well, (2) that wasn’t the whole thing.
Greer: Oh, tell me the whole thing you asshole.

Greer makes direct eye contact with Erin as she accused of being an asshole.
Though Greer is not serious in saying this comment, it is still regarded as ridicule, which
is what men do to each other while interacting.
Story Telling, Joke Telling & Performance
In my videotape, I observed my roommate Melissa telling a story to her
roommates about her life. Male speech patterns involve story telling but the response to
the stories is what I found most interesting. Usually males will often start a story to
perform it and get attention with an audience. In this story, the response was what
continued to make my claim correct. In Melissa’s telling, she is interrupted loudly by two
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of the roommates and is made a complete joke out of. This is typical of male behavior in
interaction.
Transcription #5:
Melissa:
Because I think that I-I’m losing hearing in my ear.
Greer:
pfff you’re haha an hahah idiot hahah 
Melissa:
hahah no don’t laugh, it’s not funny.
Charlotte:
no, she really is. We had a very serious talk about it before.
Greer:
hahahaha
Melissa:
no, for a couple of weeks I’ve been having a feeling that I have cotton in
my ear.
Charlotte:
hhahahaha
Greer:
hahahah
Erin:
WHAT?!
Melissa:
-likeErin:
Did you lose a Q-tip?!!

Melissa:
that’s! that’s what I thought!
Charlotte:
hahahahahh
Greer:
hahahahahaha
While Melissa’s story started off serious, it ended in a big joke. Greer and Erin
responded loudly and aggressively to Melissa even making direct eye contact as if to
laugh in her face. She obviously didn’t take offense to this; it just became a laughing
matter with girls joking around.
Although Melissa didn’t show that she was performing her story, as males do, the
other two roommates wanted to perform in their responses to her story. Maltz and Borker
claim that when a male is telling a story, there’s often mockery and side comments on the
story, which is exactly what happened in this interaction.
Those characteristics don’t always have to fall under the category of story telling.
A comment that Charlotte made on the videotape created responses from the other
roommates. They mocked her and created other inside jokes that quickly spread from one
thing Charlotte had mentioned.
Transcript #6:
Charlotte:
Melis, will you make-will you put hot water on?
Greer:
{starring at Charlotte} hahahahahahhahahahahah
Melissa:
Melis, blah blah blah blah blah? (mocking voice)

Greer:
Melissa, make me some homemade chicken noodle soup. (mocking) 
Charlotte:
I don’t feel good.
Erin:
me me me me me! (singing tone)

Melissa:
{gets up from couch} with a soda on the side!

Erin:
hahaha yeah.
A common pattern in male speech is that they often mock, ridicule, and put one
another down to assert ones position of dominance. This example shows this pattern,
which is now, since my observation, used as a female pattern also.
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Conclusion:
These different transcriptions all support the claim that females interact the same as
males do. Men joke around by calling each other names, perform and try to out do each
other just like the roommates did. The fact that they are white female college students
affected the way they interacted with each other also. Males act the way they do with one
another to show dominance in society. Usually, females do not show this, but in my
observation, this style is definitely brought out. The roommates share the same culture
and status in society so they become very comfortable in conversation, which could be
why they were observed like this. In cross-sex conversation, according to Maltz and
Borker, it is appropriate for women to give the power to the male in interaction to show
he has control. In the observation taking place, every subject was female, therefore there
was no need let any male take over control in conversation. The videotape showed,
however, different females taking over the conversation at one point or another. In certain
cultures, this type of behavior would be inappropriate. In this society, it is shown that this
is how college females interact when they are together. It is hard to differentiate how
different sexes interact when they communicate. Women may show modesty, while
males show control, but only when they are together. Males in a group and white female
college students show the same patterns of interaction in our culture.
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