You're the only one i can tell : inside the language of women's friendship / Deborah Tannen

Introduction ix -- 1. Women friends talking -- 2. That's not what i mean : the invisible influence of conversational style -- 3. "Were a lot alike","Were very different": The importance of being - or not being the same -- 4. The same - or better ?: conncetion and competition -- 5. Foblo, fogko,, and the safe embrace of women in groups -- 6. Too close for comfort : cutoffs Poaching drama -- 7. "Like" t or not : women friendship and socila medie -- 8. My friend my sister my self: What i means to be close -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgements -- Notes -- Index --

"LINGUISTICS. Best friend, old friend, good friend, new friend, neighbour, fellow mother at the school gate, workplace confidante: women's friendships are crucial. A friend can be like a sister, daughter, mother, mentor, therapist or confessor. She can also be the source of pain and betrayal. From casual chatting to intimate confiding, from talking about problems to sharing funny stories, there are patterns of communication and miscommunication that affect friendships. Tannen shows how even the best of friends - with the best intentions - can say the wrong thing, how the ways women friends talk can bring friends closer or pull them apart, but also how words can repair the damage done by words. She explains the power of women friends who show empathy and can just listen; how women use talk to connect - and to subtly compete; how fears of rejection can haunt friendships; how social media is reshaping relationships."