Asymmetric Discourse: Exploring Power Dynamics, Overlappings and Interruptions of Gendered Conversations in 2023 Honest Bunch Podcasts

This study examined gender differences and discourse styles in select episodes of 2023 Honest Bunch Podcasts. The study adopted Deborah Tannen’s Difference Theory, which posits that women and men use language differently in their conversations; this emanates from their different sociocultural socialization which often leads to miscommunication and misinterpretation of ideas in mix-gender conversation. The study explored how female and male guests of Honest Bunch 2023 podcasts used language differently in conversations. The study adopted a descriptive research method which allowed for an accurate and systematic observation of different conversation patterns of both genders. The data consist of three YouTube videos episodes of the 2023 Honest Bunch Podcast. Each episode includes two female guests, two male guests and their male hosts engaged in conversations. The findings reveal that female guests predominantly use inclusive language, cooperative listening cues and hedging to foster solidarity and rapport-building. Their speech style also shows a tendency to avoid and manage conflict through overlapping and the use of politeness strategies that signal supportive construction of meaning. However, men frequently employ exclusive language, interruptions, and report talk, emphasizing their status, dominance, and information-giving. The study contributes to gender discourse analysis in the Nigeria media space, showing how different conversation patterns reinforce traditional gender roles in mixed-gender conversations. The study, therefore, recommends that a balanced turn taking should be encouraged in public speaking, women should balance politeness with assertive strategy to ensure they drive their points home, while men should reduce excessive interruptions and adopt more collaborative conversation pattern for inclusivity in order to women to construct and negotiate meaning effectively in gendered conversations.