Genderlect theory:

Men and women have formed society and culture for a long time. This includes, but not limited to making relationships, communicating and forming society and culture. Interstingly,the fact that both genders have interacted with each other and have done the things previously stated, their ways of communicating are totally different from one another. This entry will elaborate more on this fact and the reasons why this occurs. It wil also elaborate on how to overcome the reasons which will be stated below.Note that the differences occur for men and women in general and is not to be confused with stereotypes.

One main reason for this difference is how their brains work. Men's brains prefer physical processes whereas female brains are more focused on the verbal ones. In this aspect, when a man and woman attempt to communicate to each other normally, it would be comparable to two sepeerate languages coming from either side of the conversation.(1)This, of course assumes that the parties are not attempting to accomodate towards each other.

In relevance to the fact above, the way that men and women think are also different. Men think in such a way that thay communicate only when it is needed. Men also tend to be more direct in their approach to communication, being straight-to-the-point. On the other hand, women tend to speak out everything verbally. They are more concerned with being heard and feeling understood instead of direct communication.(2)

 In order for men and women to communicate effectively, they need to accomodate for each other. One way is to analyse and understand the partner.(2) This helps the two parties understand each other more, anticipating what they would want. The other way is to try to communicate in a way that the other party can be comfortable with. This means that men would try to communicate in the way of the woman and vice versa.(3)

references:

1.Cameron, D.(1 October 2007). What language Barrier? Accessed 15/4/2012 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/01/gender.books

2.Sarnoff-Ross, C. (12 April 2012) Stylistic Differences Between the Way Men and Women Communicate. Accessed 15/4/2012 from the website http://www.dailystrength.org/health_blogs/cyndi/article/stylistic-differences-between-the-way-men-and-women-communicate

3.Krause, J.(8 December 2010) Communication breakdown between men and women in the workplace. UOPX Writer Network, College of Social Sciences, humanities articles. accessed 15/4/2012 from http://www.phoenix.edu/colleges_divisions/humanities/articles/2010/12/communication-breakdown-between-men-and-women-in-the-workplace.html

Muted group theory:

This theory describes about the 'muted group', women in society. This is due to the male-dominant society as they control the language. They have also been trained informally at home. Institutions taught them to be silent. Traditions and values have also to be considered on the definition. Gender is rooted into society as it is produced by culture.

To elaborate, as men are the dominant gender in society, they possess power over it. they set the rules on what should be the 'correct' way. Communication and hence, language are theirs to control. They will devalue minority cultures, in this case women. These minority groups have to speak according to the language set by the dominant culture. The main factor is how differently man and women communicate. women are more flexible with those that are close with them in communication than men, but are more doubtful as men form the majority of society.(1,2)

In response to this, the minority groups will form their own language. They do this in a number of possible ways, these rely on a nonverbal approach in order to fully express themselves without restraint from the dominant culture. The main reason for this to occur is to gain more power for themselves.(1)In what is viewed to be an achievement is the fact that the term 'sexual harassment' applies for both genders.(2) Another possible achievement has been done in Sweden, with the term 'hen', a general gender-neutral term to replace the equivalent terms for 'he' and 'she' to define a person.(4)

References:

1.Chand, D. (2003), Orbe, M. (1998)(based on.) Co-cultural Theory. Accessed 15/4/2012 from http://my.ilstu.edu/~jrbaldw/372/Co-Cultural.htm

2.Kramare, C.(24/3/2010) Muted Group Theory. Accessed 15/4/2012 from http://edutech.tlt.winona.edu/wikis/CMST282/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=muted_group_theory

3.Community team(April 12 2012) Should we use gender-neutral pronouns instead of 'he' and 'she'? Accessed 15/4/2012 from http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/04/should-we-use-gender-neutral-pronouns-instead-of-he-and-she.html

Symbolic interaction:

The term 'symbolic ineractionism' involves, as its name implies, symbols and their use in language. By extension, communication is involved in this theory as language is used. This theory is more focused on one's social life, instead of society itself. According to this theory, humans can view everything from a  symbolic point of view, including ourselves. This entry will elaborate on the theory stated above as well as its examples.

In general, this theory consists of interacting with symbols and making use of them. Language is used as well in order to give said symbols meaning. The meaning is first created by one person and checking to see if others agree on its meaning. Whenever there is mutual understanding of the symbol between people, that is when the meaning is set. In a similar way, society forms as what can be considered social norms are given meaning.(1) We see our 'self' depending on a number of factors. This is achieved by use of language and playing our 'role' to reflect ourselves. The 'self' also depends on how one is viewed as others see him or her; the significant other, those close to them and the generalised other, groups of people.

An example of this can be illustrated with the  image(taken from http://www.printablesigns.net/category/traffic). As seen, this is a stop sign, often seen in road junctions. The colour red in this picture has a strong effect, giving a stern warning to the reader. Before it was red, the colour yellow was used from 1915 until the year 1954. The colour was used mainly for practical purposes, as a red sign in the dark was too difficult to view during that time due to technological limitations. The yellow colour was also likely to be used as it was a sign of caution. The change from yellow to red was to differentiate this sign with a warning sign, coloured yellow. It was also done to ensure familiarity with the existing red traffic signal which also had the 'stop' meaning.(3)

Another example would be about oil. Oil also has the name of 'black gold' due to its value. The 'gold' part is bacause of society generally associated with gold, often seen as a valuable material. Oil is used everywhere in the world as industries and economy which power the world use it as fuel making it valuable in both literal and figurative sense, hence the name. To emphasise this fact, wars have even been fought to seize the substance. It has in fact become normal in society to see or know oil being used, one way or another, from fuels to plastics. (4)

References:

1.Changing Minds.(2002-2012). Symbolic Interaction Theory. Accesssed 15/4/2012 from http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/symbolic_interaction.htm

2.Strykes, S., Borgatta, (2011-2012) Symbolic Interaction Theory. Accesed 15/4/2012 from http://edu.learnsoc.org/Chapters/3%20theories%20of%20sociology/17%20symbolic%20interaction%20theory.htm

3.Moneur, R.C. (15 Sept. 2010) Were STOP signs ever yellow? Accessed 15/4/2012 from http://www.trafficsign.us/yellowstop.html

4. Graham Rowe, D. (30 Apr 2008) Black gold. Accessed 15/4/2012 from the website http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/apr/30/energy.geology

Communication Accomodation theory:

As this theory relates to the accomodation towards the speaker, this is usually applied when speaking to another person. This is especially true if said person cannot understand one's speech if being talked normally. The same can also be said if it is considered rude to the other party if  normal speech is used.

An example of the former is children. In general, children does not have an extensive vocabulary as adults do, such as his or her parents. They are also less knowledgable viewing the world in relatively simple ways and curious about matters in life. Hence, due to said curiosity, they are less likely to be embarrased than adults about certain matters such as drugs, sex and death. Education helps them understand these topics. However, it begins with the parents. It is their duty to provide not just information to their children, but it also must be done comfortably. They must also be aware of the child's knowledge of said topic beforehand. Overall, it helps them to understand and be aware of these concepts. (1)

As for the latter, elderly people would be considered. As these people have given the current generations their well-being, they should be treated with respect. In addition, if they have suffered any inconveniences, it would be best to show concern or comfort them in any given situation. If an elderly person causes what may be seen as a hardship, such as no longer driving, it would be best to seek help from friends, family or even appointments with a professional third-party(2) (image at right from www.helpguide.org)

Another example of the latter would be job interviews. Appearance is a vital factor for the interview. Another vital, but more important factor is the way the person communicates. Assuming they are equal in terms of appearance, a person who stutters a lot and sounds nervous is less likely to pass the interview as the employer does not feel comfortable with the interview(underaccomodation). On the other hand, one who speaks in a polite, confident manner is likely to get the job due to the employer feeling confident to give the job to the person.(3) (image at right from http://graduate.monster.co.uk)

References:

1.American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (May 2005), Talking To Your Kids About Sex,62. Accessed 13/4/2012 from the website http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/talking_to_your_kids_about_sex

2.Saisan, J.,White, W., and Robinson, L.(February 2012). Senior Driving: Safety Tips, Warning Signs, and Knowing When to Stop. Accessed 13/4/2012 from the website http://www.helpguide.org/elder/senior_citizen_driving.htm

3. Diersta, D. (2008). Six Sloppy Speech Habits. Accessed 13/3/2012 from the website http://graduate.monster.co.uk/6520_en_p1.asp