The Influence of Gender on Communication

Today sex is no longer considered only as a biological feature. Being a woman or a man does not just mean having particular anatomy. Femininity and masculinity in the modern discourse are more general concepts, considered biological, social and cultural sex. When it comes to communication, Nęcki [1996] states that among the types of conversation we distinguish the verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal (linguistic) communication is the process of exchanging information between people through the system of audio or graphic signs called language. R. Jacobson [1960] singled out several elements of linguistic communication, characteristic for all speech acts: sender - context - contact - the message. Oral communication is the most common way of transmission of meaning between people. Nonverbal communication is mainly our language: of the body, time, space and appearance. The essential elements of nonverbal communication include gestures, facial expressions, posture, touch, communication distance zone, smell, eye contact, and even appearance. Nonverbal communication is a mirror image of our attitude, lived emotional states and material status.The present study aims at examining the influence of gender on verbal and nonverbal communication as well as the existing relationship between them.