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Writing style as a reflection of gender

Writing style as a reflection of gender
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  • Writing style as a reflection of gender

    Post #1 - July 22nd, 2004, 6:59 pm
    Post #1 - July 22nd, 2004, 6:59 pm Post #1 - July 22nd, 2004, 6:59 pm
    Writing style as a reflection of gender

    Today, one of my students (yes, I am allowed to prey upon the innocent minds of the young) sent me this link for Gender Genie:

    http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.php

    At this site, you input prose from any source (I used clips from LTH Forum) and some some weird algorithm allegedly detects whether the writer is male or female. I know, it sounds like bullshit, and it may very well be, but it's worked 90% of the time for me.

    I clipped random paragraphs from posts by Dickson, Mike G, gleam, and me and...we all turn out to be male. Similarly, I randomly chose passages from MAG's and Ann Fisher's posts, and these passages were judged to be written by females.

    Check it out. Good harmless fun.

    Hammond
  • Post #2 - July 22nd, 2004, 7:05 pm
    Post #2 - July 22nd, 2004, 7:05 pm Post #2 - July 22nd, 2004, 7:05 pm
    Pipe some ann coulter through it. Last time I did, it turned up male every time.

    I'm not sayin' anything. Draw your own conclusions :)

    -ed
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #3 - July 22nd, 2004, 7:20 pm
    Post #3 - July 22nd, 2004, 7:20 pm Post #3 - July 22nd, 2004, 7:20 pm
    For instance, I ran this column: http://www.anncoulter.org/columns/2004/071404p.htm through and it came up male by a margin of 17%.

    This column: http://www.anncoulter.org/columns/2004/070704p.htm came up male by a margin of 24%.

    All this means is that she has a stereotypically 'male' writing style. Not that she necessarily has an Adam's apple.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #4 - July 22nd, 2004, 10:49 pm
    Post #4 - July 22nd, 2004, 10:49 pm Post #4 - July 22nd, 2004, 10:49 pm
    Hi,

    I submitted several samples.

    One where I was peeved, the score:

    Words: 190

    (NOTE: The genie works best on texts of more than 500 words.)

    Female Score: 157
    Male Score: 189

    The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!

    I then submitted a section of my rotted shark thread, the score:
    Words: 787

    (NOTE: The genie works best on texts of more than 500 words.)

    Female Score: 1011
    Male Score: 1179

    The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!

    Last but not least, I submitted a post about purchasing a stove on the Cooking and Shopping board, the score:

    Words: 796

    (NOTE: The genie works best on texts of more than 500 words.)

    Female Score: 817
    Male Score: 897

    The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!

    I found an especially emotional boy + girl passage, the score:

    Words: 872

    (NOTE: The genie works best on texts of more than 500 words.)

    Female Score: 1501
    Male Score: 974

    The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!

    The algorithm is supposed to be correct 80% of the time. So I guess when I am being analytical, my writing style is male. When I am being emotional, my writing style is pure female ... and if you are extremely lucky do you get the emotional stuff out of me because it is pretty rare.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #5 - July 23rd, 2004, 4:30 am
    Post #5 - July 23rd, 2004, 4:30 am Post #5 - July 23rd, 2004, 4:30 am
    C2,

    "So I guess when I am being analytical, my writing style is male. When I am being emotional, my writing style is pure female"

    That could be.

    I tended to use somewhat shorter writing samples for the tests I did, and the Gender Genie seemed to have a high degree of accuracy, but I'm skeptical, of course.

    Hammond
  • Post #6 - July 23rd, 2004, 12:09 pm
    Post #6 - July 23rd, 2004, 12:09 pm Post #6 - July 23rd, 2004, 12:09 pm
    I tended to use somewhat shorter writing samples for the tests I did, and the Gender Genie seemed to have a high degree of accuracy, but I'm skeptical, of course.


    I think it is also topical, in the sense you communicate differently depending on the audience or your intent. I was genuinely surprised how my writing style was slanted male. I also glanced through the analysis of the vocabulary, which I may return to sometime. I would venture to guess, they submitted many samples of known-gender writing, which was used to tutor the algorithm on typical male-female writing.

    I also am aware I have a very direct style and don't couch my words very much. I venture to suggest it came from dealing with many English-as-a-second-language crowd when my customer base was outside the USA. Being subtle had a very good chance of not being understood correctly at all. So in many ways, my life experience throws many glittering generalities into the rubbish bin.

    I guess long ago when I encountered a fork in the road moment, I could have evolved into someone who dotted their i's with a smilely face. Of course, I long ago departed from that track to be (whatever) what I am.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #7 - July 23rd, 2004, 12:30 pm
    Post #7 - July 23rd, 2004, 12:30 pm Post #7 - July 23rd, 2004, 12:30 pm
    I would have guessed that I wrote like a man, so I'm a little disappointed to be so consistently female. I tried it with the most tedius writing I've done lately, a journal article, and it came in male, but insignificantly so (335 to 338). Everything else is female. Fascinating. On the other hand, I put in 555 words from Betsy's childbirth blog (although I admit I started with the post about the pathology reports) and it came back male. She thought it was pretty funny. Thanks for the entertaining link.
  • Post #8 - July 23rd, 2004, 1:01 pm
    Post #8 - July 23rd, 2004, 1:01 pm Post #8 - July 23rd, 2004, 1:01 pm
    David Hammond wrote:... but I'm skeptical, of course.


    David:

    I couldn't resist trying it out either. A couple of different kinds of my own texts, one registered pretty strongly on the male side, another, virtually even (slightly on the female side, score something like 1209 to 1206)...

    The idea and test are pretty amusing but, after looking over the criteria they use, I think it's also kind of goofy... just my humble opinion... And by all means, I like lots of things that are goofy...

    I wonder if I screwed up by using texts in other languages?*

    :twisted: :roll: :wink:
    A

    * On a lark I actually tried using a Dutch text I wrote; it came out really overwhelmingly male (something like 23 to 276, though most of the male score resulted from the fact that 'was' and 'is' are also words in Dutch... Les enfants s'amusent... :o :lol: :P
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #9 - July 23rd, 2004, 1:07 pm
    Post #9 - July 23rd, 2004, 1:07 pm Post #9 - July 23rd, 2004, 1:07 pm
    As another one of the samples, I find it interesting that my posts here skew female, while my submissions to the Slow Food Guide skew male, with the exception of one. Another interesting note is that my husband's one submission to the guide came up female.


    By the way, Cathy, one of your PR submissions came up female and another male.

    Who'd thunk it.
    Last edited by MAG on July 23rd, 2004, 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    MAG
    www.monogrammeevents.com

    "I've never met a pork product I didn't like."
  • Post #10 - July 23rd, 2004, 2:25 pm
    Post #10 - July 23rd, 2004, 2:25 pm Post #10 - July 23rd, 2004, 2:25 pm
    What if you come up asexual,transgendered or hernaphrodite?
  • Post #11 - July 23rd, 2004, 3:14 pm
    Post #11 - July 23rd, 2004, 3:14 pm Post #11 - July 23rd, 2004, 3:14 pm
    Here's a weird thing: all the LTH Forum posts I've input come out male; all the marketing materials (CD storyboards, videoscripts, print communications) I've input come out female.

    Whether the stylistic markers are gender-related or not, it's interesting ot me that, on some level, there's so much stylistic difference between the two types of writing I do most.

    David "Maybe I'm thinking about this too much" Hammond
  • Post #12 - July 23rd, 2004, 3:19 pm
    Post #12 - July 23rd, 2004, 3:19 pm Post #12 - July 23rd, 2004, 3:19 pm
    Whether the stylistic markers are gender-related or not, it's interesting ot me that, on some level, there's so much stylistic difference between the two types of writing I do most.


    I really think it comes down to who your materials are addressing and the result you are seeking. Maybe in your marketing materials, you are more interested in engaging emotionally and wanting to be likeable. Whereas some of your LTH stuff is very much intent in being controversial with a devil-may-care attitude. What do you think?

    Yes, I am deep, I think, I care, I spent too much time on LTH today! Tomorrow is another day!
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #13 - July 23rd, 2004, 4:08 pm
    Post #13 - July 23rd, 2004, 4:08 pm Post #13 - July 23rd, 2004, 4:08 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:
    Whether the stylistic markers are gender-related or not, it's interesting ot me that, on some level, there's so much stylistic difference between the two types of writing I do most.


    I really think it comes down to who your materials are addressing and the result you are seeking. Maybe in your marketing materials, you are more interested in engaging emotionally and wanting to be likeable.



    Could be.

    I interpreted it a little differently. When I write marketing, I'm tentative ("could" and "may" are litigation-avoidance terms) and solicitous, supportive, seductive, coy, and...oops, perhaps I'm revealing my own gender bias...which leads me to one of the values of this Gender Genie exercise: it functions as a kind of Rorschach for your own perceptions of gender-markers in writing and other behaviors.

    Hammond

    PS. You don't think I'm likable on LTH? Gary, she's picking on me again!! :twisted: :roll:
  • Post #14 - July 23rd, 2004, 8:31 pm
    Post #14 - July 23rd, 2004, 8:31 pm Post #14 - July 23rd, 2004, 8:31 pm
    hattyn wrote:Anyone who posts on cannibilism and transvestites can't be all bad.


    You are being far too generous :twisted: :roll: :wink:
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #15 - July 23rd, 2004, 10:53 pm
    Post #15 - July 23rd, 2004, 10:53 pm Post #15 - July 23rd, 2004, 10:53 pm
    Dickson,

    Incidentally, your posts came out the most "male" of all those I tested.

    Just thought you'd like to know.

    Hammond

    PS. See, you go for the easy dig, I return it with a compliment. I'm just that sort of guy.
  • Post #16 - July 23rd, 2004, 11:46 pm
    Post #16 - July 23rd, 2004, 11:46 pm Post #16 - July 23rd, 2004, 11:46 pm
    Come again?

    Hammond
  • Post #17 - July 24th, 2004, 4:25 am
    Post #17 - July 24th, 2004, 4:25 am Post #17 - July 24th, 2004, 4:25 am
    David Hammond wrote:PS. You don't think I'm likable on LTH? Gary, she's picking on me again!! :twisted: :roll:

    You two play nice or no animal crackers before nap time. :)

    Enjoy,
    Gary
  • Post #18 - July 24th, 2004, 1:31 pm
    Post #18 - July 24th, 2004, 1:31 pm Post #18 - July 24th, 2004, 1:31 pm
    Just call me butch.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #19 - July 24th, 2004, 1:35 pm
    Post #19 - July 24th, 2004, 1:35 pm Post #19 - July 24th, 2004, 1:35 pm
    dicksond wrote:Just call me butch.


    Butch,

    I will.

    As we have probably discussed, I despise our shared first name (not because we share it :lol: , but because every other person has it). So, you go by Butch, and I'll go by

    Hammond
  • Post #20 - July 24th, 2004, 1:54 pm
    Post #20 - July 24th, 2004, 1:54 pm Post #20 - July 24th, 2004, 1:54 pm
    Not Hammy?
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #21 - July 24th, 2004, 4:14 pm
    Post #21 - July 24th, 2004, 4:14 pm Post #21 - July 24th, 2004, 4:14 pm
    dicksond wrote:Not Hammy?


    Butch,

    Though Hammy is the tender pet name bestowed upon me by Ultimo, I'm fine with being called whatever name you please. Really.

    Hammond
  • Post #22 - July 26th, 2004, 11:55 am
    Post #22 - July 26th, 2004, 11:55 am Post #22 - July 26th, 2004, 11:55 am
    i really hate this game. anaylsis of my writing is that i'm apparently "one butch chick".

    not that there's anything wrong with that.... :wink:

    kittens and flowers
    sharon
  • Post #23 - July 28th, 2004, 2:12 pm
    Post #23 - July 28th, 2004, 2:12 pm Post #23 - July 28th, 2004, 2:12 pm
    You know, I never felt the need to go to the web site, as I conveniently worked out how it had to operate and why it was meaningless (something like: words are defined as analytical or emotive - "analytical" words are scored as masculine and "emotive" words are scored as feminine, or some such).

    So having closed my mind, I was able to move on without distraction.

    lessh wrote: anaylsis of my writing is that i'm apparently "one butch chick"


    But your post has piqued my curiosity, though not enough to check it out myself. Is your writing more masculine than mine? Anyway, I do like your posts, so that makes some sense. But I just want to be more sensitive in my posts... :oops:
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #24 - July 28th, 2004, 2:23 pm
    Post #24 - July 28th, 2004, 2:23 pm Post #24 - July 28th, 2004, 2:23 pm
    dicksond wrote:You know, I never felt the need to go to the web site, as I conveniently worked out how it had to operate and why it was meaningless (something like: words are defined as analytical or emotive - "analytical" words are scored as masculine and "emotive" words are scored as feminine, or some such).


    What's most surprising (to me, at least) is that the analyzer does not look for obvious nouns or adjectives, but rather smaller parts of speech like prepositions and articles (though that, of course, says nothing about the algorithm's reliability).

    Hammond

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