Majors: Spanish and English (Writing)
Minors: Linguistics and Women’s Studies
Research Advisors: Dr. Lydia Rodriguez and Dr. Richard Henry
Presidential Scholars Advisor: Dr. Sharmain van Blommestein
Title: The Implications of Interruptions: A Linguistic Analysis of Gender in Spanish Conversations
Much of the discourse surrounding gender and interruptions is focused on the English language.
The goal of this project is to understand how theories developed by English scholars relate to conversations conducted in Spanish. In particular, the project seeks to answer the following research question: is there a relationship between gender and frequency of interruptions in informal Spanish conversation? In order to answer this question, I will record Spanish conversations in family homes while I am studying abroad in Spain. After transcribing and translating the conversations, I will analyze how the speakers’ use of interruptions may relate to their genders. I hypothesize that a power differential between male and female speakers will likely be represented in conversational practices and in the frequency of interruptions in everyday conversation, with male speakers possibly interrupting more frequently than female speakers. However, my analysis will also take into consideration the possibility of using interruptions as a way to support one another, which is a common conversational device used by female speakers in English conversation. I believe that this research will add a new perspective to the discourse of language and gender, and will therefore benefit future scholars and their endeavors in this field.