Language style. affects long-term relationship strength and the compatibility of existing

and would-be couples, suggests a new study. Led by researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, the study【C1】______ our understanding of how language influences【C2】______. The group compared peoples use of " function words" which【C3】______carry any meaning on their own,【C4】______ help build context in conversations. Content words, such as nouns, adjectives and verbs, carry an【C5】______ meaning. Function words, on the other hand, vary in their use and help provide reference points in conversations.【C6】______, words like "the," " that" and " of"【C7】______ act as function words. The researchers conducted two experiments to measure language similarities. One setup【C8】______ 40 speed dating sessions among college students,【C9】______ the couples conversations were recorded and transcribed for【C10】______. The studys authors found that people who used function words similarly were more【C11】______to express romantic interest in seeing one another in the future. A second experiment measured the use of function words in the online chats of 86 couples over the【C12】______ of 10 days. The researchers found that couples that used function words similarly tended to still be together【C13】______. Three months after the data were【C14】______, the team discovered that 76 percent of couples【C15】______ similar language styles were still together compared to 53 percent of other couples that【C16】______similar styles of speech. The findings suggest that romantic compatibility may not depend【C17】______ on saying the right things but rather whether theyre said in a【C18】______way. James Pennebaker, a coauthor of the study, comments on the natural【C19】______ of these speech styles in a press release; " Whats wonderful【C20】______this is we dont really make that decision; it just comes out of our mouths.

【C1】

A．advances

B．transforms

C．overturns

D．reflects