Sex is an integral element of the world, meaning that people often discuss this issue. However, it is possible to suppose that individuals choose different communicative strategies depending on who is involved in communication, when and where it takes place, and others. Thus, the present study will rely on four observations to support the specific claim about sex. The statement is: When talking about sex, the participants of this research spoke frankly with the same-gender companions and in figurative language with representatives of the opposite gender.
In the beginning, it is necessary to explain how the observations were collected. The data come from conversations that were accidentally heard on different occasions. Even though such a delicate topic is involved, many people do not tend to speak in a low voice to achieve privacy. That is why the strategy of attentive listening to others allowed for locating sufficient materials for the given study.
Two specific observations demonstrate that people tend to discuss sex frankly and unambiguously when they communicate with same-gender individuals. The examples from February 13 and March 20 demonstrate that both the males and the females speak openly about sex. These two observations involve various situations, multiple ethnicities, and representatives of different genders, which allows one to suppose that the decision to avoid using figurative language was made because the participants were of the same gender. These conversations did not include any ambiguities or figurative language because the informants directly said “sex” when they meant it. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the study participants did not involve any fun in the observed communications.
Simultaneously, the other two observations demonstrate that people tend to choose a different strategy when they talk to individuals of a different gender. It refers to the cases that occurred on February 14 and March 27. These observations took place under different conditions as well as involved representatives of various ethnicities and genders. For example, the situation from February 14 demonstrates that the female participant talked about sex in figurative language. She was ashamed of discussing the topic, denoting that she had difficulty choosing the suitable terminology. The case from March 27 reflects a different state of affairs since the male decided to use figurative language to describe his previous sexual intercourse. This participant did not show any signs that he experienced shame during that conversation. This conversation took place in an informal environment, meaning that the male did not have essential constraining factors that prevented him from speaking frankly.
It is reasonable to offer a detailed explanation of the findings that have been obtained based on the four observations. The selected situations explicitly demonstrate that the informants talked frankly and unambiguously with the same-gender interlocutors and relied on figurative language to discuss the topic of sex with the representatives of the opposite gender. The observations were specifically chosen to reflect different environments, sexes, and ethnic groups. One can say that this condition is necessary to ensure that multiple external factors have a limited impact on the participants and their communications. It refers to the fact that the informants described sex frankly both in the park and at the party. Simultaneously, the participants relied on figurative language at a bus stop and during a walk. All these four environments involve various conditions regarding whether other people could hear the conversations. However, the fact that the identical results were obtained under multiple circumstances demonstrates that external factors do not significantly impact the informant’s communication.
Sufficient attention should be drawn to the language that the informants used. It refers to the fact that the participants did not rely on curse words and vulgar language. Instead of it, they used metaphors to describe sexual intercourse, including “doing adult homework” and “having a midnight ride.” That decision resulted in the fact that the informants could discuss such a delicate topic without the fear of being condemned by other people who could accidentally hear the conversation.
In conclusion, the study has supported the claim that the participants tended to use figurative language (instead of saying “sex” directly) when they discussed this topic with representatives of the opposite gender. The four observations have revealed that the participants are more willing to discuss the delicate issue as it is when communicating with same-gender individuals. Even though this research does not attempt to explain what specific factors result in the given state of affairs, it exhaustively demonstrates that such a phenomenon exists in society.
References
2021. Midday. Two white Americans, males of 21 years old, were discussing their girlfriends in the park. One of them said: “I had sex with my new girlfriend yesterday.”
2021. Morning. A white male, 20, and a white female, 21, met at a bus stop. The female said: “I spent the night with my new boyfriend. We had a beautiful midnight ride, you know.” It seemed that she was ashamed of disclosing this information.
2021. Evening. Two females, one white and one African American, of approximately 20 years old were talking about a male that they had faced at the party. One participant said: “As I know, all girls were satisfied after having sex with him.”
2021. Evening. An African American male, 21, and a white female, 20, were discussing their partners during a walk. The male said: “I do not like it when my girlfriend is silent when we are doing our adult homework.”
2021. Evening. A white female, 20, and a white male, 20, were talking about their female friend at the party. The female said: “She did not frolick with anyone who is present today.”