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communication</title></head><body>
<div>At 4:42 PM +0100 1/14/01, Michal Lisecki wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Dear ADS subscribers,<br>
<br>
I've been trying to gather materials for a paper on non-verbal<br>
language use by different sexes. Although I am going to
concentrate<br>
in the paper mainly on the Internet communication (any
communication<br>
systems within the medium) I would be interested in any hints on
the</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>latest writings/findings in the
field.</blockquote>
<div>When I was teaching a course in language and gender last year, I
posted a request on fling (a list on feminist linguistics) for
pointers on gender differences in computer-mediated/on-line
conversation. I reproduce here the replies I received; note
that as you asked some of these do involve web sites where you can
track down some recent research on the topic. Perhaps Vicky
Bergvall's note of warning will also be useful.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>larry</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>===================</div>
<div><font face="Mishawaka" size="-1"
color="#000000"
>>Date: Sun, 26 Mar
2000 15:25:52 -0600<br>
>Sender: Feminists in Linguistics
<FLING@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG><br>
>From: Susan Herring <susan@LING.UTA.EDU><br>
>Subject: Re: two requests for
research pointers<br>
><br>
>Hi Larry,<br>
><br>
>A recent overview of my own and others' research on gender<br>
>and CMC is available online:<br>
><br>
>2000. "Gender differences in CMC: Findings and
implications." _Computer<br>
>Professionals for Social Responsibility Newsletter_, Winter
2000.<br>
>http://www.cpsr.org/ publications/newsletters/issues/2000/Win<span
></span>ter2000/index.html<br>
><br>
>It contains a number of references.<br>
><br>
>Regards,<br>
><br>
>Susan<br>
><br>
>========================================<span
></span>====================<br>
>Susan C. Herring, Ph.D. <x-tab>
</x-tab>(817) 272-5234 office<br>
>Associate Professor<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>(817) 272-2731 fax<br>
>Program in Linguistics<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>susan@ling.uta.edu<br>
>University of Texas<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>http://ling.uta.edu/~susan/<br>
>Arlington, TX 76019 USA<br>
>========================================<span
></span>====================<br>
<br>
=========================================<span
></span>====================<br>
>Date: Sun, 26 Mar
2000 17:58:11 -0500<br>
>Sender: Feminists in Linguistics
<FLING@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG></font></div>
<div><font face="Mishawaka" size="-1" color="#000000">>From:
"Victoria L. Bergvall" <vbergval@MTU.EDU></font></div>
<div><font face="Mishawaka" size="-1" color="#000000"><br>
><br>
>I just saw Larry Horn's query on computer-mediated communication
(CMC) and<br>
>sex differences, and Susan Herring's reply (she has provided an
excellent<br>
>bib and paper there, so do check them out). Thanks Susan--your
work comes<br>
>just as I was doing a web search for the same material. You've
been a<br>
>pioneer for all of us in this field. Thanks for your great
work!<br>
><br>
>Also,the latest volume of Berkeley Women and Language Conference
Papers<br>
>(just out) (http://www.linguistics.berkeley.edu/BWL<span
></span>G/Conf98.html), has two<br>
>interesting papers on gender and CMC by James Waldinger and Ben
Smith.<br>
><br>
>However, I'd like to inject a plea, again, not to immediately
cast the<br>
>question as one of "sex *differences*" (repeating Janet
Bing's and my plea<br>
>in our chapter in *Rethinking language and gender research*
(Bergvall,<br>
>Bing, & Freed, eds, Longman 1996). I realize that society
often casts<br>
>"women" and "men" into seemingly dichotomous
and opposed groups, but real<br>
>people--and real language--is often much more complicated, and
needs to be<br>
>treated as such (as Susan and others, in fact, acknowledge).<br>
><br>
>I will be presenting a paper (The continuum of gender
construction in<br>
>on-line discourse) at the coming IGALA conference, which shows
that gender<br>
>behavior in discourse forms a continuum on-line as it does
off-line, and<br>
>that starting with assumptions about "female" and
"male" speech forms can<br>
>cast the whole debate as dichotomous to begin with, and thus,
perhaps<br>
>overlook the critical overlaps.<br>
><br>
>I agree, strongly, that the nature of social construction of
gender in<br>
>discourse on-line often exaggerates gender differences into
virtual<br>
>burlesques of off-line gendered discourse patterns. But there are
still<br>
>critical overlaps both on- and off-line; data in my IGALA paper
will<br>
>illustrate that where the orientation of the talk is not to
SOCIAL issues,<br>
>but more to TASK issues, gender is much less salient and
virtually</font></div>
<div><font face="Mishawaka" size="-1" color="#000000">>invisible,
and thus, gender "differences" are less obvious than the<br>
>similarities and continuities. That paper is still very much in
process,<br>
>but I will be happy to share it and discuss it when it gets
done.<br>
><br>
>It is all a complex issue that demands more attention. So, my
best wishes<br>
>to your students!<br>
><br>
>Vicky<br>
>>_______________________________________<span
></span>____________________________<br>
>Victoria L.
Bergvall <span
></span> Associate Professor of Linguistics<br>
>Director of Graduate Programs in Rhetoric & Technical
Communication<br>
>Department of
Humanities
Michigan Technological University<br>
>1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton Michigan
49931-1295 USA<br>
>vbergval@mtu.edu Phone:
(906)487-3248 Fax: (906)487-3559<br>
>________________________________________<span
></span>___________________________</font></div>
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