Study guide
Language diversity: Language and sexuality
- Institution
- AQA
For AQA English language A level 7701/2. Theories and theorists on language and sexuality including Robin Lakoff and Paul Baker. For paper 2 question 1.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Content preview
SexualityIntroduction:
Relitavely new area of linguisti study.
Sweden has reiently introduied a gender-neutral pronoun, ‘hen’. But
in English the pronouns ‘ze’ and ‘thon’ have been invented. ‘Ze’ has
been suggested to be used when a person’s gender is unknown or
unilear. Eniouraged by the LGBT iommunity.
Another example is from Brighton in 2012 when the gender neutral ‘mx’ was suggested to
be used in plaie of Mr or Mrs. This reieived mixed responses from newspapers, some
ilaming it was a PC overload.
Polari:
Form of language assoiiated with gay men, used in the frst 2/3 of the 20 th ientury in Britsh
iites that had large and mainly underground gay subiultures.
It arose from a number of overlapping forms of slang assoiiated with stgmatsed groups.
Mainly passed on via word of mouth thus meaning many versions were ireated at the same
tme. Most speakers had a small iore voiabulary, but there was also a ‘fringe’ voiabulary
only known to a few. Standards of spelling, pronuniiaton and meaning were not always
adhered to.
Polari was a neiessity in a world where homosexuality was stgmatsed through law,
mediiine and religion.
Could be seen as an ant-language
Michael Halliday:
1978
Used the term ant-language to desiribe how stgmatsed subiultures develop language to
reionstruit reality aiiording to their own values.
Features:
Ant-soiiety
Relexiialising existng voiab
Different lexiion but some grammatial struiture
Fundamental part of identty
Contnuity between language & ant-language.
Paul Baker:
Polari is the ioded form of language that allowed typiially gay Britsh men (1950s-1960s) to
iommuniiate ionilusively with other gay men in publii without anyone else knowing about
their sexuality.
Examples: bevvy= to drink, bitih= to iomplain, iamp=effeminate
Robin Lakoff:
Compares gay male speeih traits to those of women (hedges, intensifers eti.) and argues
that gay men ionsiiously and deliberately imitate these traits
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Izzyread14. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
60904 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now