A poststructuralist approach to structural gender linguistics
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Heiko Motschenbacher
Abstract
This article attempts to counter the contemporary marginalisation of structural gender linguistics within the field of language and gender. It argues that, in order to make structural gender linguistics compatible with recent developments in the field, it is necessary to initiate a conceptual shift from treating language structures as stable parts of a language system to viewing them as unstable and ever-changing in linguistic performance. This theoretical move towards a poststructuralist approach to structural gender linguistics also has methodological consequences. Its central aim is the de-essentialisation of gendered language structures by documenting their heterogeneity, instability and incoherence. This can be achieved in three major ways: cross-linguistic comparison, historical linguistic description and analysis of the usage patterns of particular forms. The three methods are illustrated using language material from English, German and Croatian.
Abstract
This article attempts to counter the contemporary marginalisation of structural gender linguistics within the field of language and gender. It argues that, in order to make structural gender linguistics compatible with recent developments in the field, it is necessary to initiate a conceptual shift from treating language structures as stable parts of a language system to viewing them as unstable and ever-changing in linguistic performance. This theoretical move towards a poststructuralist approach to structural gender linguistics also has methodological consequences. Its central aim is the de-essentialisation of gendered language structures by documenting their heterogeneity, instability and incoherence. This can be achieved in three major ways: cross-linguistic comparison, historical linguistic description and analysis of the usage patterns of particular forms. The three methods are illustrated using language material from English, German and Croatian.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Periphery, gender, language 1
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I. Undoing grammatical gender
- Trying to change a gender-marked language 25
- Gender marking and the feminine imaginary in Arabic 47
- A poststructuralist approach to structural gender linguistics 65
- A hermeneutical approach to gender linguistic materiality 89
- Gender bias in Bantu languages 129
- The representation of gender in Bajjika grammar and discourse 165
- The lexical paradigm based on sex distinction and the semantics of its constituents in English and Belarusian 195
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II. Intersectional peripheries
- When She and He become It 227
- Lakota men’s and women’s speech 257
- “Moldovan” and feminist language politics 285
- Eastern boys and girls! Comparative linguistic anthropologies of lesbian and gay communities, Kuala Lumpur and Sorwool 323
- Harlots and whores but not lovers 353
- About the contributors 381
- Language index 387
- Name index 389
- Subject index 395
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Periphery, gender, language 1
-
I. Undoing grammatical gender
- Trying to change a gender-marked language 25
- Gender marking and the feminine imaginary in Arabic 47
- A poststructuralist approach to structural gender linguistics 65
- A hermeneutical approach to gender linguistic materiality 89
- Gender bias in Bantu languages 129
- The representation of gender in Bajjika grammar and discourse 165
- The lexical paradigm based on sex distinction and the semantics of its constituents in English and Belarusian 195
-
II. Intersectional peripheries
- When She and He become It 227
- Lakota men’s and women’s speech 257
- “Moldovan” and feminist language politics 285
- Eastern boys and girls! Comparative linguistic anthropologies of lesbian and gay communities, Kuala Lumpur and Sorwool 323
- Harlots and whores but not lovers 353
- About the contributors 381
- Language index 387
- Name index 389
- Subject index 395
