Deborah Tannen believes that, “male-female conversation is cross-cultural communication.”(435) She explains how men and women communicate with each other and how different their outlook is when speaking.
For example in private speaking vs. public speaking there are two different types of talk. Rapport talk is generally a style for women which “seeks to establish connection with others”; whereas, report talk is usually associated with men who “seek to command attention, convey information, and win arguments.” Women are known to talk more than men do in private conversations. Men try to use talk as a weapon against others and must have the final say in a conversation. They must win the argument at hand to show up the girl they are talking with.
In this scene from She’s The Man, Sebastian Hastings who is a female acting as a male at a new school tries to impress a group of guys by winning multiple conversations with various women. He talks to the women in sexual ways and sends them away to prove to the guys that he has power over them. In return, the guys believe that “he’s the man.” This use of report talk has earned Sebastian an “in” with the popular guys at school which ultimately makes him popular as well. Being seen as the one in power over these women is a perfect example of how men use report talk which is the direct opposite of the rapport talk that women generally use.
