Language And Sexuality Flashcards
Gender
The social and cultural roles, behaviours and expectations associated with the male/female spectrum
Sexuality
The expression of one’s sexual orientation, desires and preferences
Heteronormativity
The assumption or belief that heterosexuality is the norm
Stereotype
An oversimplified representation of a person, group, institution or event
Polari
Slang used by gay men to communicate secretly during 1950s and 60s when homosexuality was illegal
Paul Baker (2002)
- Outlined features of Polari
E.g.
Rhyming slang
Back formation
French, Italian
Criminal Slang
Acronyms
Rhyming slang
Slang in which the word intended is replaced by a word or phrase that rhymes with it
(E.g. plates of meat = feet)
Back formation
The creation of a new word by removing part of an existing word
(E.g. ecafe = eek)
Acronym
A word composed of the first letters of the words in a phrase
(E.g. naff = not available for fucking)
Anti-language
A language used by a subculture as a way of expressing themselves to prevent outsiders from understanding what is being said
Michael Halliday (1978)
- Coined the term ‘anti-language’ when discussing the language of Polish prisoners (can also apply to Polari)
- Shows membership to a subculture
- Protects the subculture
- Constructs an alternative social reality which reflects the social values and beliefs of the subculture
Lavender Linguistics
The study LGBTQ+ speech and language
William Leap (1993)
- Created the term ‘Lavender Linguistics’
- Observed that certain words and phrases are often associated with specific sexual orientations, and that the use of these words can signal one’s identity to others
Robin Lakoff (1975)
- No study and evidence (observational)
- Stated that gay men deliberately use female speech patterns (tag questions, empty adjectives, minimal responses, etc.)
Judith Butler (1990)
- Gender therorist rather than linguist
- Introduced the idea of performativity
- your use of language and your behaviour can perform an identity
- concluded that gay men use female speech patterns to diverge from language of heterosexual men
Keith Harvey (1998)
- Camp talk: a form of language characterised by exaggerated gestures, tone of voice and flamboyant behaviour often associated with LGBTQ+ communities used as a way to express identity and create solidarity
- Features: Co-occurence of explicitness and delicacy, Inversion of grammatical gender, Puns, Use of French
Co-occurence of explicitness and delicacy
The use of explicit or direct language alongside more subtle expressions
(E.g. You’re sweating like a pig. I don’t sweat, dear, I perspire)
Inversion of grammatical gender
The intensional use of language that reverses traditional gender associations and challenges stereotypical gender roles
(E.g. calling men by female names referring to a man as ‘she’)
Puns
Wordplay that exploits multiple meanings or similar sounds of words for humour or rhetorical effect.
(E.g. My dear, your hair looks as if you’ve dyed)
Use of French
Incorporating French words or phrases into language
(E.g. This is the salle a manger but I haven’t actually manged in it for years)
Don Kulik (2003)
- No research and evidence
- Argued that you cannot tell someone’s sexuality because of their langauge use
- Believes that different sexualities use the same language as those used by heterosexual individuals
Robert Podesva (2011)
- Speech can change depending on contextual factors
- Small scale study by follwing a man named ‘Heath’ in workplace, dad and a BBQ with friends and boyfriend
- Sociophonetic variation: pitch, tone
- Falsetto (high pitch) only at BBQ
- Performing an identity which is relevant to his sexuality and is an important part of his identity when with his friends
