Comparative Study of Linguistic Features in Gender Communication in Pakistani Television Talk Show

Abstract

The study aims to find out the differences in communication styles of Pakistani men and women. The present study attempts to provide a report on face-to face communication in a talk show, which is aired on AAJ NEWS channel Pakistan. To find out the differences in the use of linguistic features such as hedges, interruptions, directives and minimal responses in the language between men and women conversation, data was collected by recording clips of discussion, which was then transcribed. The results of the study indicate that there are differences between men and women in the use of linguistic features in their communication. The results also signify that the use of linguistic features is gender related and is affected by factors such as expertise of the participants in a particular setting and context of interaction. This paper limits itself to describe gender communication in a particular formal context. The study implies that stereotypical linguistic behavior associated with genders can be challenged if such behaviors are studied in different settings.