Linguistics & Semiotics - General & Miscellaneous

Duels and Duets

Name: Duels and Duets
Author: John L. Locke
ISBN: 9781139124089

by John L. Locke

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Overview

Why do men and women talk so differently? And how do these differences interfere with communication between the sexes? In search of an answer to these and other questions, John Locke takes the reader on a fascinating journey, from human evolution through ancient history to the present, revealing why men speak as they do when attempting to impress or seduce women, and why women adopt a very different way of talking when bonding with each other, or discussing rivals. When men talk to men, Locke argues, they frequently engage in a type of 'dueling', locking verbal horns with their rivals in a way that enables them to compete for the things they need, mainly status and sex. By contrast, much of women's talk sounds more like a verbal 'duet', a harmonious way of achieving their goals by sharing intimate thoughts and feelings in private.

About the Author, John L. Locke

John L. Locke is currently Professor of Linguistics at Lehman College, City University of New York. He did graduate work in communication sciences and disorders at Ohio University and received postdoctoral training in linguistics, psychology, and anthropology at Yale University and Oxford. Professor Locke has held research appointments at the University of Illinois, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Cambridge. He has published over a hundred articles, chapters, and books, incudingThe De-Voicing of Society (Simon & Schuster), and Eavesdropping: An Intimate History (Oxford University Press)