by Catia Leonetti

The primary objective of this sociolinguistic study is to investigate the notion of “verbosity” traditionally associated with women’s language. A secondary aim is to explore whether this stereotype influences women’s decisions to select certain university majors potentially leading them to assume they are naturally more talkative because of their gender. Specifically, the study asks whether there is a correlation between verbosity, gender, and the discursive nature of particular academic fields, focusing on both humanistic and scientific disciplines. To address these questions, I administered a questionnaire to undergraduate students enrolled in three-year degree programs in Psychology, Linguistics, Education Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, and Physical Education at the University of Bologna, Italy. The results indicate that male and female students exhibit different patterns of speech, with individuals who identify as women are still perceived as more talkative than those who identify as men. Furthermore, cultural biases continue to influence academic choices, even in unexpected fields. For instance, although present to a smaller degree, linguistic stereotypes, such as the association of verbosity with women, still impact students’ university major decisions.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15781/0q4d-5d88