Talk and Adult Lebanese Female Friends

Hardly any research on language and gender in general, and women’s talk in particular, has been conducted in the Arab or the Lebanese context (see Haeiri, 1997; Sadiqi, 2003; Nelson, Al-Batal, & Echols, 1996). Outside the Arab world, major studies on female friends’ talk focused on conversations between children and teenagers (Goodwin, 1982; Goodwin, 1983; Goodwin, 1998; Goodwin, 2002; Hunt, 2005) or married women with children (Coates, 1996; Holmes, 1995; Tannen, 1990). This research study aims at further exploring potential competition for social power by examining levels of support and competition in the talk of adult (unmarried) Lebanesewomen best friends’ gossip, narratives, and discussions. The study examines the levels of support in these best friends’ responses to each other in conversations. It also investigates the extent to which these adult women friends recognize or admit that they disagree or compete for popularity or knowledge in their interactions with their best friends.