The effect of gender on the choice of speech style

The analysis of a number of linguistic variables reflecting formality in the advanced oral French interlanguage of 27 Dutch-speaking students showed significant differences between male and female speakers. Female speakers were found to opt for a much more implicit and deictical speech style, especially in an informal situation. As the situation became more formal, the differences between male and female speakers weakened. The same variation was found in a corpus of native Dutch.