Why do Ladies Speak better English?

I have often wondered why ladies generally speak better English as compared to their male counterparts. Does it have anything to do with the brain? I decided to do a brief online research. Trust Google to deliver. It’s been shown that not only in English language, females are better in speech and language skills than their male counterparts and this is attributable to the differences between the male brain and female brain.

www.webmd.com talks about how the male and the female brain differ:

1. Israeli researchers found out that the male and female brains show differences as early as the 26th week of pregnancy. Ultrasound scan findings reveal that the corpus callosum, the bundle of nerve tissue that connects the right and left sides of the brain, was thicker in female fetuses than in male fetuses. It’s been observed that in adults, this area remains stronger in females. This may be responsible for the finding that while males use the left side of their brain (just like right-handed people use more of the left side of their brain), females use both sides of their brains for language functioning. It is therefore no surprise to observe the stronger language skills shown by females because the larger the area of the brain dedicated to a particular task, the better an individual will be in performing that task.

2. The area of the brain that is involved in language and fine motor skills (handwriting) mature about six years earlier in girls than in boys. While the area of the brain responsible for math and geometry mature about four years earlier in boys than in girls. Little wonder that generally, the writing and speech of girls are better than their males’ counterpart, whereas boys are better with math and science related subjects than their female counterparts.

3. The brains of males are about 10% larger than the brains of females. It does not necessarily make the male brain smarter. The gray matter (the thinking matter) is 6.5 times more in males than females, while the white matter (which connects various parts of the brain) is 9.5 times more in females than in males. It was also noted that some parts of the female brain are better organized and bigger in volume. This may also lend credence to the reason why females have a more dominant language skill.

4. Women are faster and more accurate at identifying emotions than men. They are quicker at noting facial differences and voice changes. They are also better at controlling their emotions. A study showed that the areas of the brain that control aggression and anger responses are larger in women than in men.

5. Nevertheless, men and women still have a lot in common in the brain. It was shown that a lot of areas are still the same in the brains of men and women. It was also noted that the differences in the brains of males and female are for the best. They are complementary and thus enhance the chances of men and women joining together to achieve common goals.

Also, www.doctorhugo.org/brain4.html presented a research finding:

‘Language: for men, language is most often just in the dominant hemisphere (usually the left side {of the brain}), but a larger number of women seem to be able to use both sides {of the brain} for language. This gives them a distinct advantage. If a woman has a stroke in the left front side of the brain, she may still retain some language from the right front side. Men who have the same left sided damage are less likely to recover as fully.’- From the book, ‘The Essential Difference: Men, Women and the Extreme Male Brain’ written by Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University. {Parenthesis is mine}

Let me go back to where I started. Females are better in the languages than their male counterparts. Do we have anything to learn from the above? Yes, a lot:

1. Don’t argue with a lady in public, especially the one that is good in English. This reminds of what happened back then in school. Some boys and girls went to get water from a common tap. They formed a rowdy queue to fetch the water. At a point, one of the boys noticed he’s been outsmarted by one of the girls. He felt he should be in front of that girl. Before long, an argument ensued.

Boy: I came before you ‘na’.

Girl: That’s a lie. You met me here. I did not see your gallon when I came here. (The girl was ventilating so fast at per second billing, 120 words per second: cha cha cha cha ta ta ta ta ta)

Boy: em em … (Hesitating, trying to find the right words.)

Girl: ta ta ta ta ta ta (She continued in clean Queen’s English)

Boy: (Noticing how outspoken and fluent the girl was in the crowded queue, he thought of the embarrassment that will result if the argument continues, he kept quiet and stayed where he was. Maybe in his mind he reasons: he who argues and keeps quiet will live to argue another day.)

That was how he gave up to superior verbal prowess. Studies have shown that ladies use their language skills more when they are competing for something, like in the above altercation and that they can easily manipulate information in the process. You know if you not good in spoken English, when you are having a conversation with someone who’s adept at the language, it’s usually a tough battle. You reason what you should say next and the grammatical expressions you will use to convey the message. You have the luxury of doing this in a slow conversation. That won’t be the case if you have to speak hastily like the case cited above.

2. Men who are married or in a relationship can learn a lot from the studies I cited earlier. Ladies are blessed with the gift of speech and language and so often, they put this skill to use. Sometimes it’s so interesting to hear them speak. At other times, it can be such a bore. All the same, appreciating the fact that by nature ladies are generally talkative, can help the man show more understanding and love. That is how they were created! You know when someone is very good at something that individual will always look for an avenue to showcase that talent. For ladies, their gift of speech requires a listening audience. If you are the husband or friend and you don’t provide the audience that she needs, don’t you think she will look for another audience that will show more understanding? If this new audience is a guy who listens patiently and attentively, well, that could be a warning sign of danger.

3. Ladies who are fluent in a language like English are not necessarily bright. They are endowed with the innate ability to learn a language better and faster. That does not readily translate to been intelligent. So, the spoken word may not be the true test of a lady’s intelligence. This point is important for different reasons. There are guys who like ladies that are smart. Some want to marry a lady who’s intelligent (so as to give birth to intelligent children or represent them responsibly in their line of work). If you are in this group, don't be fooled by fluent speech. There are oral interviews that are used as basis for employing workers and some employers may reason that fluency is a sure sign of intelligence. That is not entirely the case. A lady, or even a guy, can be fluent but may not meet up in other aspects of the job. If an employer is looking for a receptionist or PR officer, it’s understandable to look for fluency, but when the job requires certain non-verbal skills, using fluency as an index of comparison, can be misleading. You may have worked in a place where certain individuals are very good in speech-making and yet they are found wanting in other vital skills.

4. Ladies, your speech and language skills is a gift from God. Please, use it wisely. A gift when put in good use, can be a thing of joy to behold, but when abused, it can very damaging to the owner and those around. Remember, too much of anything is bad. Take it easy. It’s not all the time you need to prove your superior verbal prowess. There are times when a few words or complete silence is adorable. Speech is silver but silence is golden. It is said that the differences in the brains of men and women is a good thing. It helps a man and woman to come together and complement one another. They can thus work together to achieve a common goal. A lady has her gifts. A man has his gifts. It’s a thing of great beauty when these gifts are nurtured and used for the betterment of humanity and the good of those around us.