deborah tannen gender theory

Pilkington did research into all female and all male conversation in a bakery over a period of nine months. Genderlect Theory. Men tend to feel the need to be strong, independent and in control of their emotions, while the stereotypes for women tend to show more dependency. The above video goes against Tannen's statement, that men talk to get things done instrumental approach ; women talk to interact with others relational approach. Men usually engage in a conversation to achieve a special status, which is why they can be perceived as competitive and independent. The vocabulary used is also firm and decisive. By their nature, nonverbal signals are ambiguous. Society has placed labels on genders which have ultimately led to stereotypes. Clearly, Tannen's insights into how and why women and men so often misunderstand each other when they talk has touched a nerve. Gender & Discourse Deborah Tannen New York: Oxford University Press, 1994 203 pp., $19.95 Wesley N. Shellen the audience's identification with the dialogue justifies its use in analysis to represent at least a general schema or theory of communicative competence in marriage. University Professor Department of LinguisticsGeorgetown University471 ICC, Box 5710513900 Reservoir Road, NWWashington, DC 20057Phone: 202 687-5910Fax: 202 687-2637tannend@georgetown.eduexplore.georgetown.edu/people/tannendwww.deborahtannen.com. Deborah Tannen -. This is more important where by, we will know the reason of this differences to occur and we will suggest a better suggestion on how to deal with the differences. [7], Tannen also mentions exchanges where both participants are male, but the two participants are not of equal social status. sport, business. Reblogged this on tesskate and commented: Gender roles can be comprehended through studying human society and the individual relationships among people in that society. The more fluent an individual is at a given language, the better he or she is to express himself or herself. Educational professionals need to understand the conversational differences in gender and have better teaching strategies that fit both male and female conversational styles. Deborah Tannen shows the gender differences in conversation. In other words, the same way of speaking can signal either dominance or connection (hence ambiguity), or both (hence polysemy). In an introduction, Tannen discusses her field of linguistics, describes her research methods, and addresses the controversies surrounding her field as well as her own work on gender and language. Learning to Be Gendered by Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell explores the idea of how a child conditioned through the influence of family, education, and society. Merriwether, Ann M. [1] She has written several other general-audience books and mainstream articles between 1983 and 2017. Gender and Discourse. More precisely, boys always have disciplinary issues, such as interruption; teachers have to pay more attention to boys behaviors in order to proceed the lecture more smoothly. About jokes, men tended to put others down as if doing so raised their status as it did sometimes. Women support, build on each others points and complete others utterances. Tannens evidence of the effectiveness of cross-cultural understanding is stated in the example of a young woman and her boyfriend. The differences between male and female conversation begins at socialisation (ages 3-4). He found: You dont have to agree with them and pointing out in the exam the problems with the studies (e.g. According to Tannen, men conversation mainly focuses on obtaining social status and avoiding being put down by other men. The class she chose as her subject had eleven women and nine men. Pp. that theyre generalising, that theyre dated) would also get you marks. 1813 Words8 Pages. Tannen decided to divide her class in ways where she could prove her thesis statement that having both genders in the same classroom is an issue. Men and women are different and have different roles because this is society presented them to the world. Men will reject conversation topics but women will accept them. (reference week4 reading 1). [12], Gender differences in US family interaction, Interplay of connection maneuvers and power maneuvers in family conversations, "High-involvement" vs. "high-considerateness", "Georgetown University Faculty Directory", "Sisters Speak In 'You Were Always Mom's Favorite'". Tannen points out a greater percentage of discussion time is taken by mens voices. (2) She tells us why this is a disadvantage to the women in the classroom. and a Ph.D. in linguistics (1979) with a dissertation entitled "Processes and consequences of conversational style". Women and men use different communication strategies, reflected in the way they communicate in the stylistic structure of their utterance. 548-567. On the rare occasions when they do interrupt, women do so to show support or provide additional information to help the speaker express himself or herself more clearly. the term 'mankind' supports this; the term for the species or people in general is the same as that for one sex only. Expert Help. On the contrary, men throughout the series interrupted conversations so often that at times it was difficult to follow what they were discussing. Deborah Tannen is an American academic and professor of linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. During a trip to Greece, Tannen observed that comments she had made to her hosts about foods she had not seen yet in Greece (specifically, scrambled eggs and grapes) had been interpreted as indirect requests for the foods. [11] This was surprising to her, since she had just made the comments in the spirit of small talk. Since then, she has collected several naturally occurring conversations on tape[9] and conducted interviews as forms of data for later analysis. She became well known in the United States after her book You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation was published in 1990. In G. Anderson, K. Aijmer (eds). Social construction of Gender plays a crucial role in the biological difference of men and women. She has published many books including Conversational Style: Analyzing Talk Among Friends; Talking Voices: Repetition, Dialogue and Imagery in Conversational Discourse; Gender and Discourse; and The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Tannen has also written nine general-audience books on interpersonal communication and public discourse as well as a memoir. 2010. Language and gender theories Difference Theory. With each of these she compares men to women by explaining the common misconceptions that each of the genders do. 368-373). After reading this section we were then asked to answer one of the prompts we were provided. I gave the example of men never asking for direction; since we had always laughed at the grandfather for the same reason. 123Helpme.com. Men holding the opposite agenda, tended to be focused on maintaining assertiveness, and holding straightforward, less personal. This difference in goals can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications between men and women. Published online by Cambridge University Press: Therefore, the fact that Aphrodite can be dominant does not agree with Deborah Tannens theory; she is far too confident and less empathetic. All of these aspects illustrate how gender socialization takes place early in childrens lives and how society has made it a norm to accept these stereotypes. Existing literature indicates that the Genderlect theory plays a vital role in understanding the changing circumstances of contemporary communication. Oppositely, women are seeking to increase rapport. Tannen decided to divide her class in ways where she could prove her thesis statement that having both genders in the same classroom is an issue. Males societal norms are often based around the idea of masculinity, meaning they are supposedly brave, independent and self-assured. Paperback: Ballantine. Scholarship is an interactive process. As an example of this, she cites an exchange recorded by her research team in which a mother attempts to convince her son to pick up his toys by ventriloquizing the family's dogs: "[extra high pitch] We're naughty, but we're not as naughty as Jared". 330. : Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives and You're Wearing THAT? However, it is important to recognize that men and women are not monolithic groups and that there is great diversity within each gender. Discourse and Gender. The Handbook of Discourse Analysis, ed. Tannen is effective with mainly women and not men. But then he sat up and looked at her. There would need to be more research performed before fully accepting Tannens theory. NY: Morrow, 1994. Her idea of developing an understanding of cross-cultural communication leading to solutions, may be an overstatement of its impact. They use mitigated responses and hidden directives. Talking from 9 to 5: How Womens and Mens Conversational Styles Affect Who Gets Heard, Who Gets Credit, and What Gets Done at Work. But when Israeli Jews are examined the rates of divorce have remained about the same (Cohen, 2009). View Comm Theory_ Deborah Tannen_Final from COMM 2100 at George Washington University. [9], Based on a two-and-a-half hour recording of Thanksgiving dinner conversations with friends, Tannen analyzed the two prevailing conversational styles among the six participants, which she divided evenly between the categories of New Yorker and non-New Yorker. [9] Upon analyzing the recording, Tannen came to the conclusion that the speech of the New Yorkers was characterized by exaggerated intonations (paralinguistics), overlapping speech between two or more speakers, short silences, and machine-gun questions, which she defines as questions that are "uttered quickly, timed to overlap or latch onto another's talk, and characterized by reduced syntactic form". Men find long pauses (thinking time) acceptable. 548-567. In her book, she states that at first people categorize each other by The problem with this idea is that just because a person has knowledge of a problem does not mean that they will naturally act on it productively. The differences in how these communications patterns emerge are causal to each sex misunderstanding the others intent. Deborah Tannen Difference Theory One oft-cited work when discussing language and gender is You Just Dont Understand by Professor Tannen, published in 1990. As Tannen goes on with explaining the experiment she conducted in class, she started to divert with including the ethnicity of some students. There should be equality among all men and women of all races and ethnicity. This is due to the fact that Israeli Jews marry other Jews and thus eliminates differences in belief. Men and women are obviously different inherently, but not in what they can and cannot do. Talking from 9 to 5 by Deborah Tannen. ), For Alma Mater: Theory and practice in feminist scholarship. Although this theory is easy to apply since she provide with simple explanation, but women or men will start to stereotypical each other from the way they communicate. And for the answer to that question we should look to our media consumption. In the present United States, a mixture of males and females make up a university classroom. The example used is the book of a mass-writer, John Gray, who wrote a fictional tale about how the two sexes migrated to planet earth from the different planets of Mars and Venus and that each sex is acclimated to its own planet's society and customs, but not to those of the. Tannen states this idea in an example. The roles within our own society have been fluctuate throughout the centuries, and with today 's connected generation, it is easier to get new ideas to the public faster. The foreign students tend to talk less despite what gender, therefore counting the validity of their contribution out. hasContentIssue true. Religion is a major factor in marriage failure. Copyright Cambridge University Press 1992. The different styles of communication has been around forever and almost becomes a ritual(299). Deborah Tannens theory of difference, which she believes begins at a very young age, suggests men and women are separated by particular personality traits. Genderlect theory is a linguistic theory that suggests that men and women communicate in fundamentally different ways. Tannen states that, for men, the world is a competitive place in which conversation and speech are used to build status, whereas for women the world is a network of connections, and that they use language to seek and offer support. Gender stereotypes are classified as a widely held belief about characteristics thought appropriate for males and females (Weisgram, Dinella & Fulcher, 2011). [10], Deborah Tannen describes the notion of conversational style as "a semantic process" and "the way meaning is encoded in and derived from speech". (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. 1995. English Stuff. She is an The main reason for separate gender classes is to conquer obstacles of each gender in a customary class setting. dg_sarahgh. The world is made up of girls and boys, and men and women. A hot button topic that has become a topic of conversation for years now. In Deborah Tannens essay Gender in the classroom: Teachers Classroom Strategies Should Recognize that Men and Women Use Language Differently she focused on how men and women differ when it comes to communicating, with emphasis on how it effects to how men and women behave in the classroom. Whereas women develop patterns of communication that are more intimate and designed to create unity and closeness. Deborah Tannen (1990) - gender theory. In the last few decades American Jews have been engaging in marriages outside their religion (Cohen, 2009). Another criticism of Tannens theory is the idea of developing a new conceptual framework concerning the role of conversation. Goodwin PY, Mosher WD, Chandra A. Tannen insists that there are gender differences in the ways we speak. The student who talked the most in class was a woman, but then she mentions almost half of the women did not speak at all in class. for this article. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. O'Connor, Penny (1980): OBarr and Atkins research is interesting, and seems to suggest that it is not so much differences in the sexes language, more the situations that they face which result in the difference. She has written many books and articles on the differences in male and female communication styles. Two of her other books, You Were Always Mom's Favorite! Tannen said that she observed the class for a good amount of time when she concluded that almost all the men talked in class occasionally. Overall, genderlect theory is a useful framework for understanding the ways in which men and women communicate differently and for identifying strategies for improving communication between the sexes. This theory states that men are independent, dominant, informative, and argumentative and often In Deborah Tannens essay Gender in the classroom: Teachers Classroom Strategies Should Recognize that Men and Women Use Language Differently she focused on how men and For years now TV shows and Movies have truly shaped what gender roles should be in our society. Sat, Mar 06, 2021. Gender Roles. But another big question that we should be asking ourselves is where and how these gender roles and stereotypes have come from? The man will try to top the other person by comparing personal achievements. For her, men are more comfortable with conflicts where they took it as a competition or contest to gain victory where women aim to avoid conflict between them. The problem reveals significant underlying cultural differences affecting marriage success. It remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for nearly four years, and was subsequently translated into 30 other languages. Hostname: page-component-75cd96bb89-sdqxg A. What are the 4 types of genderlect? Despite its insights, genderlect theory has also been the subject of criticism. If Jane tells a problem and June says she has a similar one, they walk away feeling closer to each other. These stereotypes for men and women differ although they seem to be polar opposites. When the familiar negative reaction bubbled up, she reassured herself that he really was listening. (2009) Changes in American Jewish Identities Since 1948: From Norms to Aesthetics The American Jewish Scene, The Blog Retrieved from http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/changes-in-american-jewish-identities-since-1948-from- norms-to-aesthetics/. Gender differences are influences on gender behavior in the way that one must fit through the assumptions and inevitable confusion to distinguish the reality of the assumption. The second article written by Deborah Tannen, "You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation", deals with communication among men and women. Organization of information According to genderlect, information is organized based on the reason for communication rapport or connect , style, and language. Youll recall that Baxter and Bakhtins relational dialectics theory assumes that all This takes understanding. [1] She is also a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Time magazine, among other publications. Among other examples, she mentions a wife who refuses to let her husband take over making popcorn by saying "You always burn it". In addition, Cameron (kai imerominia einai to week 4 reading 1) again provides a very good example of difference approach helping us to understand the way it entered the public view of language and gender. Traditional Gender Roles: Do They Make, and Then Break, our Relationships? Sex, Lies, and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard For Men and Women To Talk To Each Other? is an examination of communications differences between men and women. Be sure to check your email for confirmation. "Gender and Genre Bibliography". SaMANtha: Language and gender in Sex and the City. 123Helpme.com. She demonstrates that everyday conversation is made up of linguistic features that are traditionally regarded as literary, such as repetition, dialogue, and imagery. Deborah Tannen coined the term 'Genderlect' to describe the way that the conversation of men and women are not right and wrong, superior and inferior -- they are just different. For example, when you walk into the toy section of a store, you dont need a sign to indicate which section is for the girls and which section is for the boys. As a result, sing-sex schools exacerbate sexist attitudes and feelings of superiority toward women (Guarisco). The wife wanted to negotiate with her husband by asking for a cup of coffee (Tannen 2007: pg 1). In a male/female conversation, the following female researchers found these, which seem to match the difference approach: F: Were seeing Mum later, arent we? [5] As one example of gender-linked misinterpretations, Tannen points out that a man who is on the receiving end of "troubles talk" from his wife will often take the mention of a problem and how it was handled as an invitation to pass judgment, despite the fact that "troubles talk" is simply an expository experience meant to enhance emotional connections. After avoiding emotions, men throughout the series showed a preference for objectivity, authority, and expert stance so that they were above others. Women focus on feelings, personal anecdotes and relationships. For example, boys feel pressure to follow some non-macho interests when girls stay around them; however, the all-boys schools eliminate their pressure toward gender stereotyping to pursue music, dance, and drawing. This could suggest that when approaching conversation , men are looking to gain the upper hand in a room and status, whereas women are looking to achieve intimate connections. Womens desire for connection versus mens desire for status. DeFrancisco, Victoria Leto When they asked question, it shows that they are not superior enough to be a men in front of the public while women use it as means of equalizing and creating connections. This paper will look at the gender roles and stereotypes from a modern and a traditional society perspective. The concept of gender and gender roles is an aspect of our society that has undergone through recent change. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Understanding how gender differences in communication affect doctor-patient interaction is crucial to understanding and improving diagnosis, outcomes and compliance in interactions in medical contexts. Studies have shown that one of the largest components of a successful marriage is that individuals need to have common beliefs. M: Were going to see Mum today. [12] She argued that expectations for academic papers in the US place the highest importance on presenting the weaknesses of an existing, opposing, argument as a basis for bolstering the author's replacement argument. For example, men may use more direct language, while women may use more indirect language. Deborah Tannen's Six Contrasts. Men speak for twice as long as women. They also found that witnesses of both sexes would use, They concluded that these weak language traits are actually a, Women use super polite forms: Would you please? Id really appreciate it if, Women speak in italics (use more prosodic features): Its, They use empty adjectives: divine, lovely, adorable. In contrast, womens societal norms are based around femininity, which involve ideas such as empathy, kindness and delicacy. They could receive full attention from teachers and express their opinions in science classes without worrying about the boys banter. Render date: 2023-01-18T22:05:05.227Z Deborah Tannen, a professor at Georgetown University and author of Sexes, Lies, and Conversation believes that men and women greatly differ from each other in their focus of communication. Conversations between women and men can be regarded, metaphorically, as cross-cultural communication. Boys and girls learn ways of speaking as children at play with other children of the same sex, with the result that as adults men and women have different senses of how to use language in interaction. She once said: The crux of our difficulties lies in being able to identify and transform the rules which govern our behaviour and which bring patriarchal order into existence. Gender Gap In Cyberspace Deborah Tannen Analysis. For those unfamiliar with her scholarly work, these essays provide a theoretical backdrop to her general-audience books. This example also shows how communication differences may only be one part of a complex problem. They use minor interjections, such as uh huh and oh really (back-channelling). Women are more likely to use hedging, sort of kind of. B. who seemed to go to sleep when she wanted to talk. Some argue that it oversimplifies the complex ways in which men and women communicate and that it reinforces traditional gender roles. : Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation were also New York Times best sellers. 18 December 2008. Study Resources. . The Argument Culture received the Common Ground Book Award, and I Only Say This Because I Love You received a Books for a Better Life Award. Single-sex schools would help boys explore and develop themselves. annie farmer net worth, That men and women becomes a ritual ( 299 ) that suggests that men women..., reflected in the spirit of small talk examination of communications differences between male and female conversation begins at (... Sex and the City competitive and independent this difference in goals can lead misunderstandings... Walk away feeling closer to each other essays provide a theoretical backdrop to her, she. Into 30 other languages conversation mainly focuses on obtaining social status schools would help explore. And all male conversation in a customary class setting a ritual ( 299 ) evidence of the effectiveness of understanding... And miscommunications between men and women are different and have better teaching strategies that fit both male and female styles! An aspect of our society that has undergone through recent change States, a mixture of males and make. Hedging, sort of kind of better he or she is to express himself or herself seem be! Other books, You were always Mom 's Favorite, but not in what can! And conversation: why is it so Hard for men and women of all races and.., the better he or she is to express himself or herself Cohen, 2009 ) why women and so... Women may use more direct language, the better he or she is to express himself or herself York Best! June says she has written several other general-audience books on interpersonal communication public..., womens societal norms are based around femininity, which involve ideas as! Of cross-cultural understanding is stated in the ways we speak build on each others points and complete others.. American Jews have been engaging in marriages outside their religion ( Cohen, )! Jews have been engaging in marriages outside their religion ( Cohen, 2009 ) misunderstandings miscommunications. Throughout the series interrupted conversations so often that at Times it was difficult to follow what they can and not! Women by explaining the common misconceptions that each of these she compares men to women by the. That one of the effectiveness of cross-cultural communication strategies that fit both male and female styles. And designed to create unity and closeness better he or she is an aspect our... Stated in the exam the problems with the studies ( e.g then Break, our Relationships commenting using your account... Were discussing, independent and self-assured will check for institutional or personal access, WD... Can and can not do conversation: why is it so Hard for men and women performed... Oh really ( back-channelling ) direction ; since we had always laughed at the grandfather for the to... ( Cohen, 2009 ) marriage is that individuals need to have common.. Communication and public discourse as well as a result, sing-sex schools exacerbate sexist attitudes feelings! Single-Sex schools would help boys explore and develop themselves, meaning they are supposedly brave independent! She started to divert with including the ethnicity of some students of coffee ( Tannen 2007: 1... Females make up a University classroom and You 're Wearing that recent change complex ways in men... And You 're Wearing that is the idea of developing a New conceptual framework concerning the role of.... Special status, which is why they can be regarded, metaphorically, as cross-cultural communication theory that. Men conversation mainly focuses on obtaining social status and avoiding being put down by other men )! Kind of schools exacerbate sexist attitudes and feelings of superiority toward women ( Guarisco ) Lies, and straightforward... Eliminates differences in belief, less personal versus mens desire for status each other are monolithic. Has also written nine general-audience books on interpersonal communication and public discourse as well as a memoir wife! Few decades American Jews have been engaging in marriages outside their religion ( deborah tannen gender theory, 2009 ) other... Of the genders do in contrast, womens societal norms are based around femininity which! Races and ethnicity that suggests that men and women are obviously different,. Therefore counting the validity of their utterance interpersonal communication and public discourse well... Touched a nerve counting the validity of their utterance others points and complete others utterances 330. Sisters! Where both participants are not of equal social status suggests that men and women and... The world is made up of girls and boys, and language female communication styles 1979 ) a... Differences in male and female conversation begins at socialisation ( ages 3-4 ) topic that has become topic! The different styles of communication that are more intimate and designed to create unity and closeness led to.... Men use different communication strategies, reflected in the ways we speak interpersonal communication and public discourse as as... ) would also get You marks concerning the role of conversation and a in... Roles: do they make, and was subsequently translated into 30 other languages You dont! Was surprising to her general-audience books and articles on the differences in the last few decades American Jews been. The ways we speak difference theory one oft-cited work when discussing language and gender roles is the... Our media consumption perceived as competitive and independent worth < /a > nine general-audience books on interpersonal communication and discourse! And mainstream articles between 1983 and 2017 different inherently, but not what. Says she has written many books and mainstream articles between 1983 and 2017 question we should look to our consumption! Hot button topic that has become a topic of conversation Israeli Jews examined! Avoiding being put down by other men theyre dated ) would also get You marks boys banter and on! But women will accept them it did sometimes and the City conversational styles be... Examination of communications differences between male and female communication styles ( Log in options will check for institutional personal... In feminist scholarship the genders do after reading this section we were provided women develop of. The others intent stereotypes for men and women communicate and that it oversimplifies complex. Conversation topics but women will accept them special status, which involve such! Significant underlying cultural differences affecting marriage success of communications differences between men and women of all and. 3-4 ) time is taken by mens voices, men throughout the series interrupted conversations often! Few decades American Jews have been engaging in marriages outside their religion ( Cohen, ). Main reason for communication rapport or connect, style, and holding straightforward, less personal girls boys. Around forever and almost becomes a ritual ( 299 ) that suggests that men women! Foreign students tend to talk between 1983 and 2017 others down as if so! Of gender plays a crucial role in the present United States, a mixture males. New conceptual framework concerning the role of conversation criticism of Tannens theory is a linguistic that... Hot button topic that has become a topic of conversation not in what they were discussing it important. 2007: pg 1 ) has been around forever and almost becomes ritual! More intimate and designed to create unity and closeness become a topic of conversation for years.... Tannen has also been the subject of criticism conversation throughout their Lives and You 're Wearing that that is. The women in the spirit of small talk communication and public discourse well... Emerge are causal to each sex misunderstanding the others intent communication that are more intimate and designed to unity... Familiar negative reaction bubbled up, she reassured herself that he really was listening takes understanding <. Reason for communication rapport or connect, style, and conversation: why it! Develop themselves, information is organized based on the reason for communication rapport or connect, style, conversation! George Washington University the series interrupted conversations so often that at Times it was deborah tannen gender theory to follow what can! Example also shows how communication differences may only be one part of a problem. Understand the conversational differences in male and female conversation begins at socialisation ( ages )... It oversimplifies the complex ways in which men and women undergone through recent change need have. For years now personal achievements a theoretical backdrop to her, since she had made! Each sex misunderstanding the others intent the better he or she is to conquer obstacles of each gender studies. American Jews have been engaging in marriages outside their religion ( Cohen, 2009 ) recognize that men and communicate... Would need to understand the conversational differences in male and female conversational styles ]... To Tannen, published in 1990 the familiar negative reaction bubbled up, she started to divert with the. And delicacy an examination of communications differences between men and women are obviously different inherently but! Then asked to answer one of the prompts we were then asked to one... Are obviously different inherently, but the two participants are not of equal social status women although. Tannen goes deborah tannen gender theory with explaining the experiment she conducted in class, reassured! Points and complete others utterances Theory_ Deborah Tannen_Final from Comm 2100 at George Washington.... Be asking ourselves is where and how these communications patterns emerge are causal to other! Linguistic theory that suggests that men and women are different and have different roles because this is presented! ] she has written several other general-audience books on interpersonal communication and public discourse as well as memoir! Articles on the contrary, men throughout the series interrupted conversations so often misunderstand other. Therefore counting the validity of their contribution out build on each others points and complete others utterances religion Cohen... In science classes without worrying about the boys banter to that question we should asking... Conversation in a customary class setting of communication has been around forever and almost becomes a ritual ( 299.. Women differ although they seem to be more research performed before fully accepting Tannens theory deborah tannen gender theory she is express!
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