Gender and Discourse Difference: An Investigation of Discourse Markers in Persian Male-Female Casual Conversation
Subject Areas : Persian Language and LiteratureManizheh Alami 1 , Maryam sabbah 2
1 - PhD in Applied linguistics, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
& Salalah College of Technology, Oman
2 - PhD Student in Instructional Technology and Multimedia, University U.S.M
Malaysia
Keywords:
Abstract :
The present study is an attempt to investigate Persian men-women discourse in cross-gender interactions by focusing on the type, frequency of occurrence and function(s) of discourse markers in oral discourse. The qualitative and quantitative methods are employed to identify DMs and to specify their functions as they occur in Persian language. The particular dialect spoken by people living in Tehran, the capital of Iran, is the focus of investigation. Brinton’s (1996) binary classification is adopted as a theoretical framework in defining the functions Persian DMs have at the interpersonal and textual levels. Altogether 34 types of Persian DMs are identified and their functions are specified in this study among which na/na baba (no) occupies the top rank in the frequency list. Another reading of the data pertains to the number and proportion of DMs employed by Persian male-female speakers. As it is inferred, the ratio of discourse markers in the women’s discourse is higher than the men’s (138 vs. 116) which accounts for the female speakers’ inclination to employ discourse markers as helpful devices in fulfilling their communicative needs. Although the disharmony is observed in the number of discourse markers in two gender groups, the results of the Chi-square test (p=0.157>0.5) indicates that it is not statistically significant. In terms of discourse markers usage for the textual/interpersonal purposes, the qualitative and quantitative analyses yield significant gender differences. The results of the Chi-square test shows P=0.02
_||_
