Diversity

Question 1

What is the diversity model?

Answer 1

The diversity model claims that there are more differences within the genders than there are between them. the way we feel we have to “perform” [or often lie about our sexual identity] according to our gender

Question 2

Valentova and Havlicek

Answer 2

• Czech linguists Valentova and Havlicek investigated what is called someone’s ‘perceived sexual orientation’.
• They looked at whether or not someone could tell a man’s sexuality based on their aesthetics and voice.
• Participants could detect someone’s sexuality based on both their voice and how they looked (even by facial features).
• Participants stated that there was a certain femininity in the voice of the homosexual men, such as elongated /l/ vowel (/l:/) sound in words like ‘towel’.

Question 3

Support- Northwestern university

* Research conducted by Northwestern University in 2004 supports Valentova and Havlicek’s findings.

Answer 3

• This research found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people showed no difference at birth in vowel production, but chose to selectively adopt vowel productions of certain social groups.
• Their research also found that gay/bisexual men did not necessarily adopt vowel sounds from women and that lesbian/bisexual women did not necessarily adopt vowel sounds from men – it was more from their social groups.

Question 4

Leading linguist William Leap

Answer 4

‘Lavender Linguistics’.

• Lavender Linguistics’ describes the sociolect (language of a social group) of homosexuals.
• Leap believes that the way homosexuals interact with heterosexuals and with other homosexuals differs.
• He claims that this is a whole other language. Link with Polari- aqua, manjaree, vada, bona, omi, water, food or to eat, look or see, good, man,

Question 5

Judith Butler’s Theory of Performativity

Answer 5

The diversity model claims that there are more differences within the genders than there are between them. It looks closely at things like the language of the LGBT+ community. According to Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, you construct your gender based on how you behave and the language you use. In other words, your language linguistically determines you.

Question 6

Socialisation process

Answer 6

The process(es) by which individuals’ behaviours are shaped. (So, for example, the process by which we “become” our genders.)

Question 7

Butler continued

Answer 7

This theory wrote that gender is “never merely descriptive but prescriptive”. But this, they mean that we are assigned a gender at birth and expected to act in a “girlish” to “boyish” manner. They state that the midwife’s first utterance of, “it’s a girl!” sets off the whole linguistic determinism in play, as if our gender then implies certain expectations of us from the minute we are born. If we wish to fit in with cultural expectations, we make “performative acts” in that we speak and act as we are expected to.