Language and Sexuality Flashcards
What is Robin Lakoffs 1975 theory on sexuality?
In her book ‘language and woman’s place’ says gay men deliberately imitate stereotypical characteristics of woman’s speech, using more superlatives and inflected intonation. This doesn’t have much merit because it is reductive, simplistic and doesn’t account for everyone in the community, also, the context has shifted since 1975
What is Podesva’s theory?
Talks about code switching where a gay lawyer on the radio talks about discrimination balancing the need to sound recognisably gay and recognisably educated as ‘gay speech’ tends to be associated with frivolity and lack of social power, exploratory switching is using certain key words and mannerisms to establish a shared identity
What is Coates and Jordan’s 1997?
Lesbian speech is marked by less distinct forms and a more collaborative conversational environment, more in line with traditional female speech, language does not suggest a difference between lesbian and heterosexual women but a marked difference between homosexual vs heterosexual men
What is Don Kulick’s theory?
We cannot fit the queer community into fixed categories, we are not just defined by sexuality, there is not an overarching queer language, people are unique, there might be features of gay speech i.e. polari, but this does not apply to every context, has merit
What is Chambers’ 2006 theory?
Television ‘produced and reproduced the norms of gender and sexuality that are our lived reality (both political and social)’, gives us repeated patterns - if we see patterns enough we start believing them, tv and media is a constant presence which set stereotypes, in part, stereotypes exist for a reason and speakers may play to these, chambers is right in acknowledging that stereotypes come into play in elements of gay talk
What is Marilyn Butler’s theory on prescriptive gender?
Gender is “never merely descriptive but prescriptive” we are assigned a gender at birth and are socialised to act in a ‘girlish’ or ‘boyish’ manner, the midwife saying “it’s a girl” sets off the whole linguistic determination, and implies certain expectations, to fit cultural expectations we make “performative acts”
What is Motschenbasher et al’s theory?
Studied gender performativity, claim a “non normative gender performance is seen as indicative of a non-normative sexual identity, in that an insufficiently feminine gender performance on the part of a female is evidence of her alleged homosexuality, people label too readily, limited merit
What is valentova and Havlicek’s theory?
“Perceived sexual orientation based on vocal and facial stimuli linked go self-rated sexual orientation in Czech men”, you can tell whether men are homosexual based on voice or looks, very limited merit, no proof, undercurrent of homophobia, doesn’t acknowledge sexuality as a spectrum
What is Leonard RN Ashley’s theory?
In their book ‘Dyke Diction: The language of Lesbians’ said that lesbian slang for female genitalia was similar to that used by nuns, if true, slang terms are not a construct of gender but of minority groups; contextual rather than innate
What is Bent Munson et al’s theory?
The influence of sexual orientation on vowel production, no innate difference at birth, homosexuals selectively adopt their speech patterns to fit a particular social group
What are the pragmatics of ‘queer’?
Meaning odd, implies the other not a part of mainstream society
What are the pragmatics of lesbo?
Derogatory term
What are the connotations of straight?
Connotations of a straight line, preferred and normal, no other real words for it
What are the pragmatics of gay?
The most acceptable term, but has become linked to negativity, implies it’s wrong
What are the pragmatics of ‘bi’?
Not taboo language but criticism of being selfish and greedy, promiscuous
