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Usage of terms for sexual intercourse by men and women

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Abstract

Linguistic styles of men and women in the area of sexual language were explored.. Two hundred forty-eight students were requested to list as many synonyms as possible for “sexual intercourse.” On the average, males listed a larger number of sexual intercourse synonyms than did females (nine vs. six). Similarly, males listed over 160 different words, whereas females listed over 130. In both instances, the vocabularies were rich, descriptive, and extensive. Males preferred the word “fuck”; females preferred the word “screw.” Males vis-à-vis females were more prone to approve the use of “fuck” and “screw” in same-sex or mixed-sex company. Females had a penchant for using the phrase “make love,” which may be related to the strong emphasis that females place on love in the context of sexual intimacy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA

    Robert H. Walsh Ph.D. & Wilbert M. Leonard Jr. Ph.D.

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  1. Robert H. Walsh Ph.D.
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  2. Wilbert M. Leonard Jr. Ph.D.
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Walsh, R.H., Leonard, W.M. Usage of terms for sexual intercourse by men and women. Arch Sex Behav 3, 373–376 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01636443

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01636443

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