Difference model

The difference model is a theory of gendered differences in language which sees men and women as inhabiting different 'sub-cultures', resulting in different genderlects (sociolects associated with gender). A major proponent of the model, Deborah Tannen, summarised these differences as contrasting conversational goals: men, she argues, tend towards a "report style," focused on communicating factual information, whereas women tend towards a "rapport style," focused on building and maintaining relationships. The difference model is often contrasted with dominance/deficit and dynamic (aka. social constructionist) models.