Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[yoshi-pooh]

Hi, everyone!

Are there any expressions in English that are more likely to be used by either men, or women?

In my native language, Japanese, we have such expressions. Therefore, if a man learns the language only from his girlfriend, he might end up speaking like a girl.

I'd like to know if the same is true in English. As far as I'm concerned, "I'd love to" is more likely to be used by women, and "Hey, man" by men.

Thank you!

yoshi-pooh

[Poisontipped]

What an interesting question. I think that really depends on the type of country the person speaking english is from. In Australia, there tends to be a lot of slang and some women do speak in a different fashion. However it's not strictly masculine and femine.

Hope I helped

[ESL-ish]

I agree, I can't really place my finger on any language that is specifically feminine or masculine. There is usually a difference in register, the musical pitch of one's voice. Men who speak with a higher than usual voice (does anyone remember Tiny Tim?) are viewed suspiciously.

Have you seen the Disney movie, Mulan? There's a scene where Mulan is trying to pass as a man when she joins the army. If you listen to the English version (as opposed to a Japanese language version), you will hear the writers and voice actors ideas of the difference between male and female speech.
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[ClarissaMach]

[yoshi-pooh]

poisontipped, ESL-ish, thanks for your repliues.

ESL-ish, I'll see Mulan as soon as I can.

Regards,

yoshi-pooh