In order to do further research on Speech Codes Theory I chose to read an article by the theory's author Gerry Philipsen. The article entitled "Speaking 'Like a Man' in Teamsterville: Culture Patterns of Role Enactment in an Urban Neighborhood" appears in The Quarterly Journal of Speech, Volume 61. This article takes a closer look at Philipsen's study of Teamsterville, a study that is discussed in A First Look at Communication Theory.

According to Philipsen, as quoted in A First Look at Communication Theory, a speech code is "A system of socially constructed symbols and meanings, premises, and rules, pertaining to communicative conduct"(432). Basically this means that every distinct culture has its own set of rules about communication.

In his article Philipsen deals with the speech codes that exist in Teamsterville, an area near the south side of Chicago. The area is made up of blue-collar workers. As the title of the article states, it deals with the communication patterns that are used by the white males in Teamsterville.

Through his research Philipsen found that there are situations where speech is necessary and appropriate, and situations where less speech and more action are appropriate in the eyes of Teamsterville residents.

The time when talk is suitable happens when a man is talking to another man that is seen as a peer. To be more specific, they should be of similar age, ethnicity, and status. The men should also be close friends. Given this type of situation there tends to be a large amount of talk between men.

Less talk seems to happen when a relationship is seen as "asymmetrical". This includes relationships such as husband and wife, father and child, and employer and employee.

The least talk is used when a man in Teamsterville feels the need to assert power over someone.
This usually happens in one of three situations:

-When responding to an insult

-When he wants to influence someone with a lower status

-When he declares his beliefs about politics or economics
If a Teamsterville man responded to one of these situations by talking about it he would be seen as not masculine.

Philipsen's article shows that speech codes can be seen in any culture. Culture dictates what is and is not appropriate communication behavior. In Teamsterville, speech is an appropriate form of communication with close friends and peers, but it is not seen as useful means of communication in other interactions.

I found this article very helpful in understanding Philipsen's theory. The examples given in the article made the concept of speech codes easier to understand because it went into more depth and gave examples that the class text did not cover. It helped me to see that speech codes really do exist in every culture and subculture. It helped me to understand why we often have problems communicating with others that are not from our culture. I would definitely recommend this article as well as another article written by Philipsen about Teamsterville entitled, "Places for Speaking in Teamsterville". The article appears in The Quarterly Journal of Speech, Volume 62. Both of the articles would be helpful to anyone seeking more information about the Teamsterville research and Speech Codes Theory.

Griffin,EM. (1997).A First Look At Communication Theory New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Philipsen, Gerry. "Speaking 'Like a Man' in Teamsterville: Culture Patterns of Role Enactment in an Urban Neighborhood." Quarterly Journal of Speech 61.1(1975): 13-22.




Click here to read a research report about Genderlect Theory. This theory is related to Speech Codes Theory because they are both Code Theories.

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This page last updated March 14, 2000 by Laura Lavelle.