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Walking the straight and narrow: linguistic choice and gendered presentation
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 13:58 authored by Evan HazenbergThe social category of gender is often considered binary in linguistic research, but this division glosses over the myriad identities within the broad categories of 'masculine' and 'feminine'. It also ignores the gendered experiences of participants, particularly transsexuals, for whom language is an important signal of identity. Two sociolinguistic variables (adjectival intensification and the phonetic production of [s]) are used to explore the linguistic construction of gender within a corpus of straight, queer, and transsexual speakers in Ottawa, Canada. Both variables emerge as sites for social identity work, suggesting that speakers with the most to lose practice a kind of linguistic conservatism. Straight men, who run the risk of losing the enormous social capital associated with heteronormative masculinity, take pains to avoid sounding gay or effeminate. Transsexuals, who risk both emotional and physical repercussions should their gender identities be questioned, aim for a safer middle ground.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Gender and LanguageISSN
1747-6321Publisher
Equinox PublishingExternal DOI
Issue
2Volume
10Page range
270-294Department affiliated with
- English Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2018-06-26First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-06-25Usage metrics
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