Gender Dynamics in Face-to-face and Online Turn-taking

Abstract

This article explores the gendered turn-taking patterns of men and women in two communicative environments: an online group chat and a face-to-face university classroom discussion among Moroccan students. Referencing from sociolinguistic theories and conversation analysis to examine how these two genders navigate conversational floor-taking in distinct interactional modalities.  Men are more likely to dominate face-to-face conversations through longer turns and interruptions. Women, however, tend to prefer more supportive styles of communication. The rapid emergence and evolution of digital communication have created new dynamics that affect the interactional norms of gendered discourse. This paper aims to analyze the various cues that influence the transmission of gendered discourse, such as turn initiations, response timing, interruptions, and overlaps, to reveal both the divergence and continuity in gendered discourse.  The findings indicate that while the offline interactions reproduce traditional gender asymmetries, online space creates more opportunities to participate in more equal ways. This study provides valuable information on how gendered discourse unfolds within socially interconnected and contextually distinct environments.