More on evolution, language and gender ...

Just ran across this on Salon:

Why do men and women talk differently? A new book argues that guys argue and girls overshare for a reason: Evolution.

It's about a new book by John Locke, a linguistics professor at Lehman College, and his new book, Duels and Duets. I haven't seen the book and may never read it, so I'll leave it to others to sort out what's what, but here's the barest synopsis:

Men, he argues, use antagonistic speech, or “duels,” to show off their strength and prove themselves to women. Women, meanwhile, use quieter speech patterns to bond with each other — and help protect themselves against aggressive men. And, according to Locke, this is a pattern that has been going on for thousands and thousands of years.

The comments are pretty interesting, and they don't seem inhibited by not having read the book. This one is typical:

Please stop publishing evo-psych bullshit. It's an unverifiable pseudoscience.