Word's Out - Gay Men's English (Paperback, New)

Do gay men communicate with each other differently than they do with straight people? If they do, how is "gay men's English?" different from "straight English"? This work addresses these questions and looks at gay men's English as a cultural and a linguistic phenomenon. This text focuses not on items of vocabulary, word history and folklore but on linguistic practices - co-operation, negotiation and risk-taking - which underlie gay men's conversations, storytelling, verbal duelling, self-description and construction of outrageous references. The author "reads" conversations for covert and overt signs of gay men's English, using anecdotes drawn from gay dinner parties, late-night airplane flights, restaurants, department stores and gourmet shops, and other all-gay and gay/straight settings. He incorporates material from other interviews and discussions with gay men, life-story narratives, gay magazines, newspapers, books and material from his own life. The topics addressed include establishing the gay identities of "suspect gays", recollections of gay childhood, erotic negotiation in health club locker rooms, and gay men's language of AIDS. The text shows how gay English speakers use language to create gay-centred spaces within public places, to protect themselves when speaking with strangers, and to establish common interests when speaking with "suspect gays". It also explores why learning gay English is a critical component in gay men's socialization and the acquisition of gay culture.

General

Imprint:	University of Minnesota Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	February 1996
First published:	February 1996
Authors:	William Leap
Dimensions:	229 x 149 x 13mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	208
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-8166-2253-5
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Language & linguistics > Sociolinguistics Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Gay & Lesbian studies > Gay studies (Gay men)
LSN:	0-8166-2253-1
Barcode:	9780816622535

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!