Language, Gender, and Sexuality

Language, Gender, and Sexuality offers a panoramic and accessible introduction to the ways in which linguistic patterns are sensitive to social categories of gender and sexuality, as well as an overview of how speakers use language to create and display gender and sexuality. Revised to include the latest developments, this book covers discussions of trans/nonbinary/genderqueer identities, embodiment, new media, and the role of language and interaction in sexual harassment, assault, and rape. Drawing on an international range of examples to illustrate key points, this book addresses the questions of: how language categorizes the gender/sexuality world in both grammar and interaction; how speakers display, create, and orient to gender, sexuality, and desire in interaction; how and why people display different ways of speaking based on their gender/sexual identities. The second edition has been fully updated and now includes new sections on political discourse and social media, more discussion questions, and new extensive online resources with student activities and instructor materials. Aimed at students with no background in linguistics or gender studies, this book is essential reading for anyone studying language, gender, and sexuality for the first time.