The conversational language of 28 men and women born in Maine around the beginning of this century is described and analyzed as it relates to Lakoff's hypotheses in "Language and Women's Place." Transcripts were gathered by students as part of an interdisciplinary course, Women of Maine. Results indicated that there is a traditional language used by women which is more "evaluative-flowery," more polite, more tentative, and more qualified than the language used by men. Some of the women interviewed resorted to a sterile, neutral language. The men interviewed spoke in absolutes, without qualifiers and with few tag questions. The fact that language reflects women's place in society was manifest not so much in word choice as in calls for validation, the use of qualifiers, and the attitude that women's work outside the home is less important than men's. The traditional language used to talk about women defined women and their expected role; the traditional language used by women reinforced these definitions. These two factors seemed to result in a low self-concept which may be part of the accepted image and role of women born in Maine around 1900. (Author/AA)