Download or read book Talking Difference written by Mary Crawford and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1995-06-22 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: `I love the warmth and wit in this book, but I say this in no way to detract from the seriousness of its subject matter and its incisive treatment by Mary Crawford... this is a great book and an important book which articulates current critical thinking about research around gender and language. Mary Crawford writes brilliantly, powerfully and lucidly... I thoroughly recommend it′ - British Psychological Society Psychology of Women Section Newsletter This refreshing re-evaluation of current wisdom - both academic and popular - about men′s and women′s language critically assesses the abundant social science research of recent years and its representation in the mass media. Exploring a wide range of topics, from talk shows to self-help books, Mary Crawford offers a new understanding of the role of language practices in both maintaining - and disrupting - gender inequality. The book addresses such provocative questions as: Why has the study of gender and language so often focused on the limitations of women′s talk? How do academic practices constrain our understanding of how gender relations are re-created and maintained in language use? Why do assertiveness texts usually ignore indirect modes of speech such as humour and storytelling?