The Influence of Gender on Males’ and Females’ Language in Algeria

Abstract

This study examines the differences between males’ and females’ speech among Algerians. It focuses on the vocabulary items used by both genders. It is an attempt to see whether differences of this kind have an influence on the speech styles of men and women and to see how these differences develop and spread in a society. The research tries to analyse the impact of differences at the level of vocabulary on gendered behaviour in the society. The results obtained revealed that each gender uses a language vocabulary in his own way. Males and females in Algerian society use different linguistic forms and vocabulary items when they speak about the same thing. Furthermore, they have different speech styles. For example; they talk about different topics; while females talk about emotions and feelings and use prestigious language, males avoid talking about their feelingsand use simple Algerian dialectal Arabic