Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3251 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.03" h x 5.25" w x 8.02" l, .62 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Tannen probes the way gender roles shape the ways men and women communicate in the workplace, and how these differences lead to misunderstandings.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Tannen (You Just Don't Understand, Morrow, 1990) describes differences in men's and women's public communication as found within the business setting. These differences appear to influence actual perceptions of worker skills and abilities. For example, women say "I'm sorry" without actually apologizing and tend to use an indirect manner of speech. These styles make women appear less confident, competent, and professional. However, women who learn to speak like men are accused of being aggressive and unfeminine. Written for the general reader, Tannen's work is entertaining and filled with illustrative conversations. It raises many issues of concern to working women, from knocking against the glass ceiling to dealing with sexual harassment. Unfortunately, Tannen's research has not yet suggested any linguistic solutions. Highly recommended for general public and academic libraries.
--Kathy Shimpock-Vieweg, O'Connor Cavanagh Lib., Phoenix
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Georgetown University professor Tannen specializes in the seemingly arcane field of sociolinguistics, yet two of her books have been wildly successful best-sellers: That's Not What I Meant: How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Your Relations with Others (1986) and You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation (1990). This second title sold more than quarter of a million copies in hardcover and well over one million in paperback, and it lasted for more than two years on the New York Times' best-seller lists. Her new book is meant as the third in this series of investigations into what we say and how we say it and how this affects our ability to be understood and to get along with others. Here Tannen considers conversations, both informal and formal, in the workplace. She is most interested in gender differences in conversational style but considers age, class, ethnic, and geographical distinctions as well, while arguing that to be successful, we must not adopt or discount other styles, but rather, make an effort to understand and to learn from them. David Rouse