J. Jerome Smith

Gender marking on citizens band radio: Self-identity in a limited-channel speech community

Self-assigned “handles” (nicknames) connote gender images in citizens band radio (CB), a limited-channel, mass participation speech community. Semantic differential analysis of a sample of male and female handles reveals that men project virility, while women collectively refrain from any significant degree of gender marking. Male dominance, absence of nonverbal communication channels, and the newness of the community combine to account for present image patterns.