West1995a

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West1995a
BibType ARTICLE
Key West1995a
Author(s) Candace West
Title Women's Competence in Conversation
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, conversation analysis, conversational competence, language and gender, listening skills, men, politeness, speaking skills, women
Publisher
Year 1995
Language
City
Month
Journal Discourse & Society
Volume 6
Number 1
Pages 107–131
URL Link
DOI 10.1177/0957926595006001006
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

In this paper, my aim is to review the logic involved in existing assessments of women's competence as conversationalists. My point of departure is the very definition of competence, which, as I demonstrate, has not been employed in many descriptions of women's deficits. Instead, conversational competence has been generally defined by default, in relation to how men speak and what men mean to say. By contrast, conversation analysis yields a systematic means of assessing the demands that conversation makes on conversationalists and the efforts needed to meet them. To advance this approach, I examine the results of existing research that show women's skills at listening, at effecting smooth transitions between speakers, and at maintaining accord in task-oriented, as well as casual, conversations. This examination leads me to consider how women's conversational competence has been misrepresented in many existing assessments—and to consider how such misrepresentation is involved in the subordination of women by men.

Notes