Abstract
This study examines how members of a lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) student community use terms of
self-identification to describe their gender identity and
sexuality. In this study I propose that the students form a social
circle that utilizes specific linguistic practices to reflect their
group and individual identities. These practices include linguistic
awareness, avoidance, and the use of several distinct but mutually
intelligible definitions of the word queer. The semantic
value of queer depends on the social context of the
utterance as well as the speaker's position within the community.
In order to test my hypothesis, I conducted ethnographic work and
semi-structured interviews. Through these observations and
interviews, I gathered data on the way in which members of LGBT
student groups linguisticaly perform their identities.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction/Literature
Review______________________________________________1
LGBT Language Research Background
______________________________________5
Language, Dominance, and the Normalization of
Gay___________________________8
Community of
Practice__________________________________________________10
Queer
Ethnography_____________________________________________________
12
Language and
Identity___________________________________________________13
Methodology____________________________________________________________15
Phase
One____________________________________________________________15
Phase
Two___________________________________________________________18
Ethnography__________________________________________________________21
Results_________________________________________________________________24
Discussion______________________________________________________________31
Unspoken
Identities____________________________________________________31
Normal Gay/Deviant
Queer______________________________________________33
Conclusions and
Limitations_______________________________________________36
Bibliography____________________________________________________________40
Appendices
____________________________________________________________41
A. Glossary of
Terms___________________________________________________43
B. Speaker
Information/Demographics_____________________________________45
C.
Transcripts_________________________________________________________46
D. Phase Two
Results___________________________________________________48
E. Queer Reported Usage/Actual
Usage____________________________________49
About this Honors Thesis
Rights statement
- Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.
| School |
|
|---|
| Department |
|
|---|
| Degree |
|
|---|
| Submission |
|
|---|
| Language |
|
|---|
| Research Field |
|
|---|
| 关键词 |
|
|---|
| Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor |
|
|---|
| Committee Members |
|
|---|