Rating scales were developed and applied to evaluate deferential/nondeferential language users. Participants were 1,262 college students in small discussion groups containing two experimenter's confederates who used either deferential or nondeferential language. The characteristics of deferential language users were questioning/tentative behavior, polite commands, requests, absence of coarse language, less interruptive behavior, and use of qualifiers and apologetic phrases. The results demonstrated that raters' perceptions of deferential/nondeferential language styles differed according to the sex of the rater. Both male and female raters perceived deferential language users as more submissive, less assertive, less willing to take a stand, and more caring. But the men perceived deferential language users as friendlier, while the women perceived deferential language users as more sincere and more honest. The men also were more willing than women to share the opinions of the deferential language users. The ten scales that contributed significantly to predicting deferential language usage seemed to fall into three categories: individual power, personal warmth, and believability. Raters also seemed to associate deferential language with femininity, but the most powerful scales seemed to be individual power and personal growth. (RL)