Men Speak One Way, Women Speak Another

While reading Yanyuwa: Men speak one way, women speak another by John Bradley, I found myself getting a little frustrated. It seems very strange that there would be a different dialect for men and women. However, the thing that frustrated me was the idea that male children consistently grow up and learn with the female dialect because women are raising them and taking care of them, but then all of the sudden are expected to speak the male dialect. I understand that culturally, it is an acceptable idea and it is forced, but it sounds so complicated to me to actually do. It made me sad that speaking the incorrect dialect would bring shame on them. Despite my frustration with this idea, the fact that there are different dialects does shed some light on the notion that men and women really do speak differently. It is interesting to me that the Yanyuwa people can't necessarily explain why there are two different dialects, it is simply the way it has always been. It makes me pause to think about how many things we do in my life, family, and culture just because "that's the way it's always been".

Due to the time period and generation I have grown up in, it's strange to consider the inequality that has existed, and does still exist, between men and women. The two different dialects among the Yanyuwa certainly do accent the gender differences and the chasm that exists in positions of prominence, power and influence. Most of what our society does currently is try to diminish those differences and strive for equality. It's strange to think that something so prevalent and imperative as language could, in and of itself, highlight the differences between male and female. I wonder if the Yanyuwa are happy this way, or if women feel subordinate to men. I guess if it "has always been that way", one possibly wouldn't notice.