For this week’s Discussion & Reflections, you will focus on the theories and approaches to the study of language and sexuality. You will critically analyze how earlier studies on gay and lesbian language repeat the problems we discussed in relation to the study of language and gender, or “women’s language”. For this, you need to understand the arguments presented in Kulick (2014) and how their arguments challenge taking gay or lesbian language as a frame of analysis to understand the relationship between language and sexuality.
Instructions
Step 1:
Please use the discussion forum to address the questions below, posting and replying as needed. You need to write 3-5 paragraphs to respond to the questions fully.
Consider Kulick (2014) “Language and Desire”. In this work, Kulick discusses three problems with the earlier studies on language and sexuality. What are these problems? Do you see any similarities between these problems and the problems earlier studies on “women’s language” had in relation to the relationship between language and gender? What does Kulick suggest as an alternative approach to solve these problems? To present support for your discussion you have two options. (1) Write your topic of interest to study the relationship between language and gender and sexuality (you can use your research topic for the final paper) and discuss how your approach would refrain from the problems Kulick lists in “Language and Desire” OR (2) analyze Queen (1997) and discuss whether this work challenges or supports the arguments presented in Kulick (2014).
