Gender Guesser: Do you write like a man or a woman?

[dramasnot6]

If given a creative work like a poem or story. can anyone guess without knowing if it was written by a male or female? Does anyone here think theres a difference between male and female writing?

[Virgil]

If given a creative work like a poem or story. can anyone guess without knowing if it was written by a male or female? Does anyone here think theres a difference between male and female writing?

No. There may be clues, but no distinction that carries through every male and female writer. At least that I can see. Do you?

[dramasnot6]

So far no. Of course, every individual has a unique voice but i havent been able to see any difference between male and female writing. My friend was telling me how her teacher was commenting on the great differences between the two but i thought that was ridiculous, why would gender of all things change ones writing? Culture, yes. Age, maybe. But gender? I wanted to see if anyone else thought there was a difference. It's an interesting argument but i cant think of anything that would make it true.

[Virgil]

So far no. Of course, every individual has a unique voice but i havent been able to see any difference between male and female writing. My friend was telling me how her teacher was commenting on the great differences between the two but i thought that was ridiculous, why would gender of all things change ones writing? Culture, yes. Age, maybe. But gender? I wanted to see if anyone else thought there was a difference. It's an interesting argument but i cant think of anything that would make it true.

Like I said, there may be clues, however. There are male activities/experiences and female activities/experiences that a writer will tap on.

[RobinHood3000]

Gender directly, I wouldn't think so, no. But society has a way of treating men and women differently, and one's past experiences is easily one of the most influential factors in one's writing.

[Misscaroline]

While I agree that Robin has a valid point, and see exactly how treament of genders would play a larger role than, say, their respective hormones. But I also think that a good writer draws on things that they have experienced outside of themselves. It's like debating for the side you disagree with, or are not associated with- you can make a great case for the other side. Likewise, a female writer can look through a man's eyes and write as though she were him-- et vice versa. It's all about the perspective you use. MC

[RobinHood3000]

Oh, indeed. Empathy, as I said, is one of the most influential things a writer can draw upon. Sympathy is the other. To be able to write through another's eyes, differing in sex or otherwise, it the mark of a flexible writer.

[Misscaroline]

How flexible??? And hey, I've sounded believably like an evangelical male bishop condemning sinners (and prostitutes, if memory serves-- I might have even dubbed the XX as the root of all evil) to hell- which we all know is far from the truth... :p

[RobinHood3000]

The root of sin, perhaps ;), but not the root of evil. And very...flexible.

[dramasnot6]

Oh, i agree Miss C. Of course, our experiences are shaped by our context and gender is an important contextual element. But in this modern day iand age there is such a large range of female roles and treatment that it would be difficult to assume a common experience. And, like you mentioned, one could write from a different genders point of view. When analyzing a text though, especially if that text contains strong gender roles and perspectives, I like to look at both gender roles in that society and how the author conforms to them. Like you said, a writer draws on their own experience and more general experiences of their society. I suppose one could identify bias to a certain gender in texts but whether that bias reflects the society's views or the authors personal voice is hard to tell without background knowledge.

[Virgil]

Oh, i agree Miss C. Of course, our experiences are shaped by our context and gender is an important contextual element. But in this modern day iand age there is such a large range of female roles and treatment that it would be difficult to assume a common experience. And, like you mentioned, one could write from a different genders point of view. When analyzing a text though, especially if that text contains strong gender roles and perspectives, I like to look at both gender roles in that society and how the author conforms to them. Like you said, a writer draws on their own experience and more general experiences of their society. I suppose one could identify bias to a certain gender in texts but whether that bias reflects the society's views or the authors personal voice is hard to tell without background knowledge.

Are you really only 14? You sound so much older. :D You are too smart for your age. ;)

[dramasnot6]

aww thanks virgil! you really mean it? i jsut have lots of practice is all....i do Lit essays for fun! my teachers love it when i ask them to mark the extra practice essays i write on the weekend, even though they dont:lol:

[Virgil]

Of course I mean it. :nod: :)

[Schokokeks]

Are you really only 14? You sound so much older. :D You are too smart for your age. ;)

I second that! You're incredible, drama! :nod: Please stay with us, you never guess how much I improve my English just by reading your posts! :D

To topic: I also think that the author's gender does not necessarily need to be prominent in his/her writing. The first example (of a male writer giving insight into a woman's mind) that I can think of would be Henry James's The Turn of the Screw.

[dramasnot6]

:blush: Thank you so much Schoky(may i call u that?:) ) I have full intentions in staying with LitNet! best site ever, then shakespeare-online and changingminds.org:p I'm hoping to get well past 1,000 post this summer holiday, before i enter the dreaded senior year and have very little time to indulge in this miraculous forum. I'm so honored i can help you out! And suprised....I'll have to be careful with my ego now, bar it before i get too full of myself with all these wonderful users compliments:blush: :D The only reason i could teach anyone anything would be because of everyone here on LitNet who has taught me so much themselves. People here are so amazingly kind and smart, I didnt think such a concentration of lovely people was possible. Oh, I'm ranting now:p , back to the topic.
I havent read The Turn of the Screw, i have heard of it and its author though. Is it worth a read? For examples of male attempts to speak from and analyze a female voice I think "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles was very in depth and well done. It also reflected many a bias of the views of women of 19th century England. So it can also be taken as an example of an author's attempt to speak from a voice of another time. I guess thats what literature is about though. Merging your own voice with millions of others to create something for many to relate to and enjoy. A sort of blending of the juices of human experience into a literary mix that resonates with everyones own little world. Gah...im gonna have to stop myself before getting myself into an essay:D I'm even worse in person

[Pensive]

For examples of male attempts to speak from and analyze a female voice I think "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles was very in depth and well done. It also reflected many a bias of the views of women of 19th century England. So it can also be taken as an example of an author's attempt to speak from a voice of another time. I guess thats what literature is about though. Merging your own voice with millions of others to create something for many to relate to and enjoy. A sort of blending of the juices of human experience into a literary mix that resonates with everyones own little world. Gah...im gonna have to stop myself before getting myself into an essay:D I'm even worse in person

I haven't read The French Lieutenant's Woman actually, but now a days, I am reading The Magus by Fowles. I will have to say that the way he has desccribed Alison's personality, being a female, I couldn't have put it that way. His understanding of female characters in his book is well. Well, not only Fowles, there are other male writers who write female characters/female writers who write male characters so well, that I get really astonished.

I don't think so that it is possible to recognize the gender of a good writer by his characters. :)

I have seen girls of my age who can write a character old man of eighty, and they can write it so well that one can mistake them for that old man. :p

On the other hand, there are girls (majority), who, when asked to write a story as a boy of their own age, they can't pen it. They totally mess up the feelings, and so their own gender is depicted by their character writing.

So I think one can identify the writer's gender by his character, but not a good writer usually. Because a good writer never pulls his own personal stuff everywhere. :)

[dramasnot6]

. Because a good writer never pulls his own personal stuff everywhere. :)

I think i agreed with you up until there Pensive:D
I dont think any writer, good or bad, has a choice in "pulling around" their own experience. Every word that comes from an author has a part of them in it. When an author writes, he can not write from a different person or only part of himself. When anyone does anything it is with their whole self, no part of your past or persona can be temporarily segregated for a decision or thought. And thats what makes it beautiful, that with every word you read, you are reading the vast world of someone else and your own. And it'sthe entirety of both. How do you write about a concept without understanding it? And how do you understand it without having been exposed to it? Just because a writer doesnt directly draw on their own "stuff" does not mean it isnt there. Or did i mistake your meaning?

[RobinHood3000]

I have to agree with Virg and Cookie, Drame - you really are something, in a very good way.

Well, a common mistake of amateur writers is that they draw too heavily on their own experiences. As often as not, they're channeling what they want to happen to them or who they want to be, or writing themselves as an egocentric perception of who they believe they are rather than someone more compelling.

A good example: a friend of mine is an amateur writer. Not to be cruel, but he's got a lot to learn. He recently wrote a story in which the family about which it's written is a clear parallel to his own family. On the first page (which is mostly tell-not-show exposition, another common mistake), there's an fight written between the protagonist and his father where the father takes a swing and the protagonist effortlessly blocks, counters, and magnanimously lets the father go. The scene itself was pointless, and the action was unrealistic and clichéd. But can you see where the above scene might fit into my friend's mind as something he'd want to do or envisions himself doing?

[dramasnot6]

I have to agree with Virg and Cookie, Drame - you really are something, in a very good way.



Aww well thank you Robin. Coming from a talented, intelligent bowman ad yourself that is quite a compliment.



Well, a common mistake of amateur writers is that they draw too heavily on their own experiences. As often as not, they're channeling what they want to happen to them or who they want to be, or writing themselves as an egocentric perception of who they believe they are rather than someone more compelling.

I definetly agree with this. Many good writers start that way too. But who could blame them? For most it takes time to gain depth for ones writing, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What better way to take that first sentence then to slip into a topic that youre comfortable with and prepared for? Writing may be pen and ink but it is still a very frightening process at times. It's the proffesionals though that can understand their own experience well enough to draw only concepts and ideas from it. It makes for a more interesting text, both for the writer and reader, when you allow a range of interpretation to lurk behind the words. But hey,not everything popular is meaningful brilliance. More like that minority. Many still want to sink into a vicarious comfort zone through the mass of romance novels and other trash floating around. Their mental funeral i guess.


A good example: a friend of mine is an amateur writer. Not to be cruel, but he's got a lot to learn. He recently wrote a story in which the family about which it's written is a clear parallel to his own family. On the first page (which is mostly tell-not-show exposition, another common mistake), there's an fight written between the protagonist and his father where the father takes a swing and the protagonist effortlessly blocks, counters, and magnanimously lets the father go. The scene itself was pointless, and the action was unrealistic and clichéd. But can you see where the above scene might fit into my friend's mind as something he'd want to do or envisions himself doing

Good example there. Well at least your friend is getting some good practice. It can be good to write out some cliches and fantasies when youre first starting out, if you're clever enough to identify them it's a worthwhile lesson to learn. A friend of mine had recently become a prolific poet. She uses no imagery, no language devices, seemingly no poetic devices at all. Her poems merely consist of strings of sentences about her boyfriend, with a messy and incoherent rhyme scheme. Almost like a rant to a girlfriend with accidental use of similar sounding words. I'm trying to introduce her to some Sylvia Plath and others to make her more aware of possible depth she could use. That's probably the best one could do anyway, not directly criticize the blunt text a new writer produces but subtly point them in a more appropriate direction.

[Pensive]

I think i agreed with you up until there Pensive:D
I dont think any writer, good or bad, has a choice in "pulling around" their own experience.
Hmmm, I think that you have misunderstood me.

I meant that there are some writers (not professional ones usually, mainly I am talking about what some of the girls in my grade did last year) who really try to bring the characteristics of their own selves into everything, because of their limited study of characters. The heroine is a nice girl but hates puppies, her friend is also a nice little girl, but she too hates puppies. The heroine is a feminist and so are the other characters. This really opens a door for the reader to recognise whether the writer is a male/female, and it reveals much more about the writer sometimes. And so, in this way produces a not-really-good piece of writing.

But most of the authors have their characters different from each other, which does not either bore the reader and does not allow reader to think specificly about the author.

Once, our teacher was using "waiting" a lot of times. A girl stood up and asked her, "Do you have something for this word?"

To avoid some of the questions like this from the reader about writer's personal self, and to make his story more interesting, I think that a writer should use a variety of characters and words. I don't think so if a writer will do that, anyone will be able to recognise his gender. :D

[Virgil]

I haven't read The French Lieutenant's Woman actually, but now a days, I am reading The Magus by Fowles. I will have to say that the way he has desccribed Alison's personality, being a female, I couldn't have put it that way. His understanding of female characters in his book is well. Well, not only Fowles, there are other male writers who write female characters/female writers who write male characters so well, that I get really astonished.



You are reading The Magus, Pensy? That is not only a hard novel, but a weird novel that I could never figure out. I never finished. Other people I know that have tried also never finished it, all except my wife. She's the only person I know who finished it. And even then she only said it was ok. Let me know what you think after you're done.

[dramasnot6]

Hmmm, I think that you have misunderstood me.

I meant that there are some writers (not professional ones usually, mainly I am talking about what some of the girls in my grade did last year) who really try to bring the characteristics of their own selves into everything, because of their limited study of characters. The heroine is a nice girl but hates puppies, her friend is also a nice little girl, but she too hates puppies. The heroine is a feminist and so are the other characters. This really opens a door for the reader to recognise whether the writer is a male/female, and it reveals much more about the writer sometimes. And so, in this way produces a not-really-good piece of writing.

But most of the authors have their characters different from each other, which does not either bore the reader and does not allow reader to think specificly about the author.

Once, our teacher was using "waiting" a lot of times. A girl stood up and asked her, "Do you have something for this word?"

To avoid some of the questions like this from the reader about writer's personal self, and to make his story more interesting, I think that a writer should use a variety of characters and words. I don't think so if a writer will do that, anyone will be able to recognise his gender. :D

Oh, I understand your meaning now. Sorry i mistook it before. It's sort of similar to what robin was saying earlier, that good writers will add depth.
Thanks for clarifying pensive! It was a really good explanation.

[Scheherazade]

Dramas, you might find these sites interesting:

http://www.hackerfactor.com/GenderGuesser.html

http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.html

[dramasnot6]

Dramas, you might find these sites interesting:

http://www.hackerfactor.com/GenderGuesser.html

http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.html

Thanks! I cant believe they actually have these. hmm...what to test first.....

[Pensive]

Oh, I understand your meaning now. Sorry i mistook it before. It's sort of similar to what robin was saying earlier, that good writers will add depth.
Thanks for clarifying pensive! It was a really good explanation.
:)


You are reading The Magus, Pensy? That is not only a hard novel, but a weird novel that I could never figure out. I never finished. Other people I know that have tried also never finished it, all except my wife. She's the only person I know who finished it. And even then she only said it was ok. Let me know what you think after you're done.
Yes, it is hard. The language used is not too hard but it is getting really difficult on some places to follow the track of the novel.

I started this novel about four or fice days ago, and I ain't still able to finish it. It gets too difficult sometimes that I wonder if the whole thing is beyond my understanding. But then again there would be some interesting sort of dialogue between Conchis and Urfe, and I would gain interest. :)

It is weird. On some places, it seems like that there has never been a more serious piece of writing than The Magus. On the other hand it looks like as if it is some sort of a joke - All those magical believes of Conchis and mysterious Lily.

I am glad you brought this thing up, Virgil. Because I had the thought I was the only one finding it a bit too weird.

[dramasnot6]

ok...tried a lady macbeth soliloquy and a macbeth one.

LM results:Genre: Informal
Female = 615
Male = 668
Difference = 53; 52.06%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.
Genre: Formal
Female = 402
Male = 522
Difference = 120; 56.49%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Macbeth results:
Genre: Informal
Female = 188
Male = 565
Difference = 377; 75.03%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 311
Male = 211
Difference = -100; 40.42%
Verdict: Weak FEMALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

what really unnerves me is that they associate weak genders with European. what logic is behind that? honestly....

[Virgil]

ok...tried a lady macbeth soliloquy and a macbeth one.

LM results:Genre: Informal
Female = 615
Male = 668
Difference = 53; 52.06%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.
Genre: Formal
Female = 402
Male = 522
Difference = 120; 56.49%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Macbeth results:
Genre: Informal
Female = 188
Male = 565
Difference = 377; 75.03%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 311
Male = 211
Difference = -100; 40.42%
Verdict: Weak FEMALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

what really unnerves me is that they associate weak genders with European. what logic is behind that? honestly....

Drama, I don't know if you could just take speeches from Shakespeare and have a valid comparison. After all Shakespeare is a man writing both speeches. Technically they should have both come up male, if that thing means anything. Why don't you take a paragrapgh from Virginia Woolf and a paragraph from Ernest Hemmingway and see how it does.

Weak genders might have to do with European based languages.

Frankly I don't believe in that analyzer.

[dramasnot6]

good idea virgil...i shall get right on it. but i too have strong suspicions about this analyzer...

[dramasnot6]

I'm comparing a Judith Wright Poem, The Old Prison, to William Blake's A Poison Tree(i like that one for some dark reason...)
JW: Genre: Informal
Female = 86
Male = 357
Difference = 271; 80.58%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 99
Male = 239
Difference = 140; 70.71%
Verdict: MALE

they got that one very wrong, yet why am i not suprised?

WB:Genre: Informal
Female = 0
Male = 88
Difference = 88; 100%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 343
Male = 70
Difference = -273; 16.94%
Verdict: FEMALE

quite a contrast there

[Scheherazade]

Which one of the programmes are you using, Dramas?

Also, it might be a good idea to start with some prose, like Virgil suggested above. You can even try some of the posts taken from the Forum :D

[kilted exile]

what really unnerves me is that they associate weak genders with European. what logic is behind that? honestly....

I got Weak Gender Male for most writings I submitted to it. Possibly the reason it associates weak gender to European is because passive tense is more used in Europe.....Unlike what I have experienced over here where people complain if I use passive instead of active voice.

[dramasnot6]

Which one of the programmes are you using, Dramas?

Also, it might be a good idea to start with some prose, like Virgil suggested above. You can even try some of the posts taken from the Forum :D

Thanks for the great suggestions! I'm using the Hacker Facker one. Hmm...maybe i will use some prose. Great idea of using posts from the forum! Lets see...who will be my first victim of possible emascualtion?:p :lol:



Thats a good point kilted exile. I suppose it is a more European trend to use more passive language...but i still feel uncomfortable with the generalization.

[Misscaroline]

Passive isn't specifically European, although it's heavily frowned upon in the States as a means of conveying ideas... I, however, usually confuse people with the passive voice-- I'm in roughly my fourth year studies Latinae, and it's second nature to use the passive voice now...

[dramasnot6]

ok,here it goes

Virgils "Shop talk"
Genre: Informal
Female = 1349
Male = 3473
Difference = 2124; 72.02%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 1467
Male = 2511
Difference = 1044; 63.12%
Verdict: MALE

Pen's "The Case of the Cautious Casanova"
Genre: Informal
Female = 4267
Male = 7355
Difference = 3088; 63.28%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 4430
Male = 5365
Difference = 935; 54.77%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Robin's "Man and His Youthful Pastimes"
Genre: Informal
Female = 1075
Male = 2584
Difference = 1509; 70.62%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 1297
Male = 1852
Difference = 555; 58.81%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.



Can anyone direct me to some female LitNet Prose?

[Virgil]

Robin's "Man and His Youthful Pastimes"...Verdict: Weak MALE :lol: This doesn't sound like a real super hero. At least not the type he claims to be. :D

I don't know Robin, perhaps you need to go to the gym and do a little weight lifting. :p

[RobinHood3000]

Just because your story involves power tools and engineering and mine doesn't, that doesn't mean you're more masculine than I am, champ. :p

[Misscaroline]

Alright, down boys-- I don't want to have to come in and clean up you two once you're done fighting...

[Virgil]

Just because your story involves power tools and engineering and mine doesn't, that doesn't mean you're more masculine than I am, champ. :p

:lol: :lol: I'm only kidding, Robin.

[dramasnot6]

Hehe, who knew the Gender Guesser would stir up such conflict?:lol: Truly a link from hell...but still fun to play with:D

[RobinHood3000]

Don't worry, Virgil, so am I. If I ever challenged you to a duel, it would be in Rock'em Sock'em Robots.

[Quinn_]

-----

[Themis]

I let them analyze part of a story of mine and got:


Genre: Informal
Female = 537
Male = 462
Difference = -75; 46.24%
Verdict: Weak FEMALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Genre: Formal
Female = 752
Male = 462
Difference = -290; 38.05%
Verdict: FEMALE


No idea what they're thinking of re: the indication of "European":

[Pensive]

Genre: Informal
Female = 73
Male = 194
Difference = 121; 72.65%
Verdict: MALE


Genre: Formal
Female = 82
Male = 113
Difference = 31; 57.94%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Do I ever sound like a male? :(


No idea what they're thinking of re: the indication of "European"

I wonder the same...

[Gadget Girl]

Genre: Informal
Female = 468
Male = 643
Difference = 175; 57.87%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.


Genre: Formal
Female = 414
Male = 877
Difference = 463; 67.93%
Verdict: MALE

Huh? :confused:

[Prole]

Huh? :confused:
I got:

Total words: 686
Genre: Informal
Female = 1134
Male = 1456
Difference = 322; 56.21%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Genre: Formal
Female = 476
Male = 876
Difference = 400; 64.79%
Verdict: MALE
Your writing is more manly than mine, Gadget Girl. :lol:

[dramasnot6]

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20612

[PeterL]

It is an interesting device, but any such thing will make mistakes. I can't figure out how it got Pensive wrong. She is one of the most obviously female people around.

I fed it several different pieces of my writing, both fiction and non-fiction. These results are typical:

Genre: Informal
Female = 1808
Male = 2947
Difference = 1139; 61.97%
Verdict: MALE

Genre: Formal
Female = 1235
Male = 1406
Difference = 171; 53.23%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

I almost want to read the study, because I don't know what they are counting.

[mercy_mankind]

Genre: Informal
Female = 43
Male = 190
Difference = 147; 81.54%
Verdict: MALE


Genre: Formal
Female = 128
Male = 100
Difference = -28; 43.85%
Verdict: Weak FEMALE


Do I ever sound like a male? :(



I think all the time that you are a male , I'm sorry Pensive. don't blame me , it is English language.:)

[Ryduce]

I was so masculine the website crashed.

[AdoreroDio]

Genre: Formal
Female = 1744
Male = 1797
Difference = 53; 50.74%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Genre: Informal
Female = 2552
Male = 2132
Difference = -420; 45.51%
Verdict: Weak FEMALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

That was for a short story I wrote, the other poems I entered came up as purely male. Blegh. I am a female and proud of it.

[LadyW]

Haha wow...
Genre: Informal
Female = 624
Male = 4522
Difference = 3898; 87.87%
Verdict: MALE

Genre: Formal
Female = 1161
Male = 2354
Difference = 1193; 66.97%
Verdict: MALE

[PeterL]

After AdoreroDio's comments, I figured out that style has something to do with what is analyzed. I haven't found any of my prose that came out as indicating a woman was to blame, but I justy put in siz sonnets that I wrote a few years ago , and the results were:


Genre: Informal
Female = 948
Male = 948
Difference = 0; 50%
Verdict: Weak unknown

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Genre: Formal
Female = 926
Male = 682
Difference = -244; 42.41%
Verdict: Weak FEMALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

[smartgirl]

I find it interesting. Wait does it say I'm female or male?

Genre: Informal
Female = 979
Male = 798
Difference = -181; 44.9%
Verdict: Weak FEMALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Genre: Formal
Female = 378
Male = 558
Difference = 180; 59.61%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

[kilted exile]

No idea what they're thinking of re: the indication of "European":

I think it has to do with the passive vs active voice. I know in school in Scotland I was taught to use Passive for almost everything, but over here the passive is somewhat frowned upon.

[Themis]

I think it has to do with the passive vs active voice. I know in school in Scotland I was taught to use Passive for almost everything, but over here the passive is somewhat frowned upon.

And which is which? In the piece I let them analyze, I mostly used active voice.

By the way, couldn't the 'European' thing have something to do with the spelling? We are taught BE (British English) at school.

[Annamariah]

I copypasted my essay I wrote a couple of months ago - the longest formal text I've ever written in English:

Genre: Informal
Female = 1709
Male = 2912
Difference = 1203; 63.01%
Verdict: MALE

Genre: Formal
Female = 1233
Male = 2001
Difference = 768; 61.87%
Verdict: MALE

Then I copypasted an e-mail I wrote some time ago:

Genre: Informal
Female = 2835
Male = 3074
Difference = 239; 52.02%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

Genre: Formal
Female = 1137
Male = 1825
Difference = 688; 61.61%
Verdict: MALE

I can't help it, I'm just so manly! :lol: The brain-sex test also told me I'm a man, so I guess I should just accept the truth :rolleyes:

[Gadget Girl]

We are all males, everyone! Whoohoo!

[Themis]

We are all males, everyone! Whoohoo!

And you're saying we should be happy about that? ;)

[Virgil]

Genre: Informal
Female = 555
Male = 1703
Difference = 1148; 75.42%
Verdict: MALE

Genre: Formal
Female = 633
Male = 1009
Difference = 376; 61.44%
Verdict: MALE

It figured me out. ;)

[Taliesin]

Total words: 1686

Genre: Informal
Female = 2889
Male = 3350
Difference = 461; 53.69%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.


Genre: Formal
Female = 1683
Male = 1880
Difference = 197; 52.76%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.


I have sometimes been mistaken for a woman in the net forums.

[Oniw17]

Genre: Informal
Female = 3519
Male = 10528
Difference = 7009; 74.94%
Verdict: MALE
Genre: Formal
Female = 4323
Male = 6301
Difference = 1978; 59.3%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

[PeterL]

There is a link to the paper that described how the thing works. I didn't read the whole thing, but, from what I read, it appears that word choice is what primarily determines the thing's rating. Women use more pronouns, while men use more quantifiers, and a few other things like that.

[Themis]

. If you summit anything with a semblance of intelligence, it will always come back as male. What?!

Oi. Apparently, my story didn't seem the tiniest bit intelligent. This time I let them analyze the essay on the American Civil War I wrote for my "school leaving examination" in English.
Guess what I got! (But I still don't think it's sexist, it's just ... silly. )


Genre: Informal
Female = 729
Male = 1612
Difference = 883; 68.85%
Verdict: MALE

Genre: Formal
Female = 662
Male = 971
Difference = 309; 59.46%
Verdict: Weak MALE

Weak emphasis could indicate European.

[PeterL]

If given a creative work like a poem or story. can anyone guess without knowing if it was written by a male or female? Does anyone here think theres a difference between male and female writing?

I think that I could now, and I think that I could write something that most people would think was written by a woman.

[Abraxas]

When I feed it academic pieces of writing, it finds me very virile (up to 75% male) - when I give it fiction, it tells me I'm female... strange, no?

And I don't believe there's female or male writing - in the same way as I don't think of genders as essences. Didn't someone say you weren't born a woman but became one? (Simone de Beauvoir, I suppose...)

[Virgil]

When I feed it academic pieces of writing, it finds me very virile (up to 75% male) - when I give it fiction, it tells me I'm female... strange, no?

And I don't believe there's female or male writing - in the same way as I don't think of genders as essences. Didn't someone say you weren't born a woman but became one? (Simon de Beauvoir, I suppose...)

And Simon de Beauvoir is an expert on biology? Everyone looking at olympic athlletes can see a difference between male and female. ;)

[Abraxas]

Don't you think we've gone beyond the mere realm of biology? I agree that there's a biological difference between men and women, and that this difference probably has repercussions on their respective psyches. But I don't think biology shapes us more than, for instance, our environment, our education or our upbringing...

And Simone de Beauvoir may not have been a biology expert, but she was a great thinker!!