Final answer:
The process that amplifies differences in male and female communication is cultural, not biological. Distinctive ways of speaking by men and women are shaped by socialization into gender norms and enacted through language ideologies. Researchers like Deborah Tannen and Janet Hyde suggest these gendered communication styles result from societal influences rather than inherent sex differences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process which amplifies innate differences between men and women, influencing their communication methods and perceptions, is largely a result of societal and cultural factors. Researchers like Deborah Tannen have suggested that American men and women exist in different communicative subcultures, affecting their motivations and expectations for conversation. Men often use conversation to assert social status, while women tend to focus on building social connections. However, linguistic research, such as that by Janet Hyde and Robin Lakoff, points towards these differences being cultural rather than biological. Judith Butler further illustrates that gender identities, and by extension communication styles, are performed through language and cultural practices rather than stemming from natural biological differences.
Cultural anthropologists consider the development of ideas about gender to be complex enactments of societal values and behaviors. This supports the notion that any observable differences in gendered communication are not inherently biological in nature, but rather are the result of socialization and cultural expectations. As children develop, they are increasingly socialized into these gender norms, which may explain why any differences in speech patterns become more pronounced in adolescence rather than childhood. Essentially, gender differences in communication practices are shaped and maintained through cultural lenses and practices rather than by biological differences between sexes.