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    Expressing Gender and Queer Identity with Intonation: Variation Amongst Masculine, Neutral, and Feminine Aligning AFAB Queer Speakers in DC

    Cover for Expressing Gender and Queer Identity with Intonation: Variation Amongst Masculine, Neutral, and Feminine Aligning AFAB Queer Speakers in DC
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    View/Open: Shar_georgetown_0076M_13899.pdf (1.4MB) Bookview

    Creator
    Shar, Elizabeth
    Advisor
    Nycz, Jennifer
    ORCID
    0000-0002-4824-8369
    Abstract
    Many sociolinguistic studies have examined how language use can express gender and sexuality in talk. (Lakoff 1973; Tannen 1994; Murray 1999; Bucholtz, Liang & Sutton 1999; Eckert & Rickford 2002; Hellinger & Bußmann 2001; Eckert & McConnell-Ginet 2003; Bucholtz & Hall 2005; Eckert & Wenger 2005; Podesva 2007) However, much of this research only considers binary cisgender male and female identities, and does not include non-binary, trans, or other genders and queer identities in the conversation. From a poststructuralist/constructivist Queer Linguistics (QL) perspective (Motschenbacher 2011; Eckert 2014), I argue that intonation is a language feature that can be used to convey gender expression alignment and queer sexuality. Through quantitative sociophonetic analysis following ToBI guidelines (Beckman & Ayers Elam 1997), I analyze intonation use in the speech of ten AFAB (assigned female at birth) queer people in Washington, DC, of which three are masculine aligning, three neutral aligning, and four fluid neutral → feminine aligning in their gender expression. I found that the masculine aligning group uses the most falling intonation, which I argue is evidence supporting my hypothesis that falling intonation is used by this group to convey masculinity. I also argue that the overall preference for plateau intonation and greater dis-preference for high rising intonation by all participants is evidence that this intonation pattern is being used to convey queer identity in speech.
    Description
    M.S.
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10822/1050802
    Date Published
    2018
    Subject
    Gender and sexuality; Gender expression; Intonation; Queer Linguistics; Sociolinguistics; Sociophonetics; Sociolinguistics; Gender Identity; Sociolinguistics; Gender studies; Sexuality;
    Type
    thesis
    Publisher
    Georgetown University
    Extent
    57 leaves
    Collections
    • Graduate Theses and Dissertations - Linguistics
    Metadata
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    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2022 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility