Recent linguistic research has centered its attention on the difference between the way men and women communicate in the workplace. Deborah Tannen, Ph.D. has extended her interest in the manner women and men communicate as expressed in You just don’t understand (1990). In Talking from 9 to 5 (1994) Tannen scrutinizes how women’s and men’s conversational styles at work affects who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets work done. Tannen’s research focuses on conversational rituals, apologies, indirectness, authority and status. Tannen emphasizes that the way people talk influences who attains power. The ability to influence others, to be listened to, to get your way rather than having to do what others want defines power (Tannen, 1994, p. 317). Tannen suggests that to learn more about gender…