Gender and Age Differences in Language Use

Introduction

Social expectations regarding gender and age roles in communication refer to the unwritten rules and expectations that society imposes on individuals based on their gender and age in terms of how they communicate. These rules and expectations may vary depending on culture, religion, and social context. In recent times there have often been issues regarding the use of language between different genders and ages. for example, the use of language between men and women, between small children, adults and also the elderly. and usually causes problems if you misinterpret what is said in the conversation(Rangel & Rosso, 2013)

The differences in language use certainly cannot be separated from factors or things that influence this occurrence. The first is the factor that determines the use of language between men and women, namely 1) Laterality: In general, women have more balanced activity in both hemispheres of the brain, while men are more dominant in the left hemisphere. This can affect the way they process language, with women more likely to use both hemispheres to understand emotional and nonverbal language, while men focus more on the logical and grammatical aspects. 2) Measures of Broca's and Wernicke's areas: Broca's and Wernicke's areas are responsible for language production and comprehension. In women, Broca's and Wernicke's areas are generally larger and more active than in men. This may contribute to women's better ability to speak and understand language. 3) Cognitive Abilities: Verbal abilities Women generally excel in verbal abilities such as speaking fluency, grammar and vocabulary. This may be related to brain structure and female hormones that support the development of language abilities. Spatial abilities: Men generally excel in spatial abilities such as navigation and visualization. This may be related to brain structure and male hormones that support the development of spatial abilities. (Maloney, 2017) after that the second is the factors that influence differences in language use between children, adults and parents, namely Differences in language use among children, adults and parents are caused by various factors, such as cognitive development, social roles, cultural influences and physical factors.

By understanding Gender and Age Differences in Language Use in more depth, we can build a society that is more understanding of each other, where one individual and another can understand what the other individual means. The explanations and problems outlined above inspire researchers to find out more and expand their insight into differences in language use across gender and age in society.

DISCUSSION

In this discussion we will find out what the differences in language use are between gender and age. We will start from the use of language from gender, namely men and women. The first of these gender sections is men, men use language more and tend to use harsher and more direct words. Apart from that, you also use swearing more often, use language to show dominance more often, interrupt other people's conversations more often. for example

man: "I want to play football, bro!" "Anjir, the motorbike is really cool!" "Damn it, I lost again!

From the example above, men are more comfortable using loose language than language that is difficult to understand. after that we will move on to the use of women's language. Women tend to use words that are more subtle and polite and more often use questions to get confirmation besides often using language to build relationships and more often listen and empathize with other people. the example is

Woman: "I want to go to the salon first, honey." "Can you help me lift this?" "Oh, how do I solve this?

Usually, as above, women use language, but it is possible that they will use language that is outside of the examples above, for example when they are angry or not feeling well.

After that we will discuss how to use language according to age, namely between children, teenagers and adults. we will start with children's use of language, Children usually use language that tends to use simpler words and more often make mistakes in grammar and also more often use creative and imaginative language. For example, as shown below

Children: "Mom, I want to eat!" "Dad, let's play!" "Toy car!"

Usually we can understand children's language directly, sometimes indirectly, because they use their imagination more when speaking and expressing what they think. After that, the use of language in teenagers and adults, if we can hear this. Teenagers and adults usually tend to use slang and slang. More often use language to show self-identity and also more often use language to express emotions. Tend to use more formal and standard language. Use language more often to complete tasks. Use language more often to show professionalism. For example is,

Teenager: "Eh, do you know the latest gossip about him?" "Duh, there's a lot of homework." "I'm stressed, studying for the exam."

Adult: "Sorry, can you help me?" "Thank you for your cooperation." "I want to ask a question."

At this age, they can use language well because they can manage information and have a lot of vocabulary and sentence choices in their minds. Next is the use of language in older people, namely parents usually use language that tends to use more traditional words. Use language more often to tell stories. Use language more often to show wisdom. for example like

Old Man: "In the past, life was not as easy as it is now." "Young people today are different from those of the past." "My grandson is very smart."

Yes, we certainly know that parents' use of language is based on their experience and also their knowledge so that the sentences they choose to convey are better understood by the recipient or interlocutor.

CONCLUSION

Social expectations regarding gender and age roles in communication refer to the unwritten rules and expectations imposed on individuals based on their gender and age. These rules may vary depending on culture, religion, and social context. In recent times, there have been issues regarding the use of language between different genders and ages, such as between men and women, small children, adults, and the elderly. Differences in language use between men and women can be attributed to factors such as laterality, Broca's and Wernicke's areas, cognitive abilities, and social roles. Men tend to use harsher and more direct words, swearing, and interrupting conversations more often. Women tend to use subtle and polite language, ask questions for confirmation, build relationships, and listen and empathize with others. In terms of language use among children, teenagers, and adults, children use simpler words, make mistakes in grammar, and use creative and imaginative language. Teenagers and adults tend to use slang and slang, use formal and standard language, complete tasks, and show professionalism. Older people, such as parents, use traditional words, tell stories, and show wisdom. By understanding these differences in language use across gender and age, we can build a society that is more understanding of each other and better understand what the other person means. By expanding our understanding of language use across gender and age, we can create a more understanding society where individuals can understand each other's meanings.

REFERENCE

Maloney, K. (2017). Chapter 15 – Gender and Sexuality. June. Rangel, F., & Rosso, P. (2013). Use of Language and Author Profiling: Identification of Gender and Age. Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Natural Language Processing and Cognitive Science, 177.