Gendered Communication in Higher Education: Analyzing Politeness Patterns in a Coeducational Setting

Abstract

This paper presents a study conducted at the University of Wah, Pakistan, which investigates the use of politeness markers and strategies by male and female students within the coeducation system. Employing qualitative method, the research analyzes recorded discourses of undergraduate students to explore potential gender differences in linguistic politeness. The study's main focus is to determine whether the coeducation environment influences students' linguistic politeness. Utilizing the politeness theory proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987), the research involved 60 participants using a stratified sampling technique. The comparative analysis of three gender groups – males-only discourse, females-only discourse, and mixed gender group discourse - revealed that the mixed gender group demonstrated a higher usage of politeness markers and employed more strategies to save face for their interlocutors. Based on these findings, the study concludes that coeducation positively impacts linguistic politeness among university students