“That’s What She Said” : A Linguistic Analysis of Language and Gender Differences in the TV Show The Office

Abstract: Concepts such as “women’s language” and “men’s language” suggest differences between how men and women speak, often concerning stereotypes. However, some research within the field of linguistics presents evidence showing little or no difference. This study aims to investigate linguistic differences between male and female characters, respectively, in The Office and analyze whether these findings correspond with, or challenge stereotypes associated with “men’s” and “women’s language”. Specifically, the analysis focuses on the lines assigned to the male and the female characters, respectively. The data was retrieved by closely watching eight episodes from two seasons and transcribing the lines spoken by male and female characters. The research methods employed are qualitative conversational analysis (CA) and quantitative content analysis. The results reveal several differences between how the male and the female characters speak in The Office. The female characters’ lines exhibit linguistic features associated with “women’s language” and lines borne out by the male characters are characterized by linguistic features typical of “men’s language”. Furthermore, these differences seem to correspond with stereotypes of gendered language features. In conclusion, the study suggests that the TV show adheres to stereotypes, potentially reinforcing stereotypical characterizations of how men and women speak. Additionally, this study suggests further research in the field of gender and language within TV shows to explore differences and the effects of these.