LURA 2019 4

Canadian Hick Masculinity

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 22:48:16 +0000

Canadian Hick Masculinity Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/15/2019 - 16:48

Well, pitter patter let's get at'er.

By Kelton Jay Hevelone
Course: Language, Gender, and Sexuality (Ling 2400)
Advisor: Prof. Kira Hall; TA Velda Khoo
LURA 2019

Anyone who has seen the TV show Letterkenny can attest to the uniqueness of the Canadian hick identity. The identity spans a relatively small section of Canada, namely the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and parts of Ontario, but it has a huge impact on foreigner’s perspectives and stereotypes of Canadians. The aspects that are most readily attributed to Canadians often stem from people in rural areas who have linguistic features which deviate from standard Canadian English. What most people do not realize though is the role this identity plays for certain people in the portrayal of the self to others, and in particular, in establishing one’s gender within the greater societal context.

I was taken aback when my friend, Katelyn, from Saskatchewan – one of the people I later interviewed for the research paper– told me that many young men use traits associated with rural Canadians to establish a unique identity for themselves, i.e. the hick identity. The identity gives these men a sense of group-belonging, as they can associate with a societal archetype and subculture. Identifying with this particular brand of Canadian hick also carries with it associations to masculinity and cultural narratives on what it means to be a man in Canadian society. When these men choose to adopt the traits associated with the identity, they not only index themselves as hick, but they can utilize commonly held ideologies to establish their masculinity.

The paper I wrote for the course Language, Gender, and Sexuality, called "Gender Differentiation through Exclusivity in Canadian Hick Masculinity", explores the specific linguistic traits associated with being a hick and how men utilize these features to construct a masculine image of themselves. I analyze aspects of accent, a pervasive use of cursing, and address terms to demonstrate the linguistic creation of the identity. Although these are all associated with the hick subculture, the link is established in tandem with a combination of other non-linguistic features. Such features include everything from plaid shirts, camouflage, and worn-out baseball caps with a curled-in bill, to trucks, drinking beer (especially pilsner or pils'), and traditional or conservative views on the world and politics. The variables listed above are all associated with Canadian hicks, but the variables that an individual chooses are highly personal and will therefore vary from person to person. It is the combination, however, of some assortment of non-linguistic and linguistic variables that defines the community and which ultimately develop cultural narratives that link the identity with masculine expression.

One of the linguistic features with which many people are familiar is the ubiquitous use of “bud” or “buddy” in addressing people. These terms can carry a wide range of linguistic meaning outside of purely address, such as by showing solidarity, endearment, or condescension. But aside from their conversational usage, those aspiring to construct their identity around hick masculinity can utilize this linguistic feature in portraying themselves as masculine to others. In doing so, they simultaneously exclude women from using the same features lest they be associated with the same cultural narratives on masculinity. When speaking with Katelyn about the topic, she expressed that she would only ever be able to use these address terms in a satirical sense, implying that a serious use of the terms would be out of place for her and other women. It’s exactly this gender exclusion that creates the potential for their use as markers of masculine expression.

The other two linguistic features, namely cursing and accent, follow the same logic. In adopting their usage, Canadian men can denote themselves as hick and demonstrate their claim to masculinity therethrough. The link between these linguistic features and the hick masculinity is an interesting study into the gender exclusivity of certain identities and communities of people. It may appear foreign to those not immersed into Canadian culture, but at least for those who live in Canada and especially in the provinces listed above, it’s a Texas-sized 10-4.

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Should U Rly Be Txtng Ur S/O?

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 02:20:21 +0000

Should U Rly Be Txtng Ur S/O? Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/02/2019 - 20:20

The language of texting may be taking romantic relationships into risky territory.

By Anya Berlova
Course: Language in US Society
Advisor: Maureen Kosse
LURA 2019

Most of us text. A lot. With friends, coworkers, family members, Uber drivers. I bet you’re pulling out your phone right now to send your BFF that awesome joke you’ve been thinking about, or perhaps ask out your crush, or (if you take texting really seriously) break up with your S/O. Texting is everywhere, so it made me wonder: can it bring people closer or form a barrier between them? I decided to investigate the sociolinguistics of texting in the most risky territory possible: romantic relationships.

Brigham Young University researchers Schade and Sandberg (2013) argue that texting is a narrow form of expression that limits emotional understanding between the two sides and creates emotional disconnect. Research by Daniel Turello of the Kluge Research Center (2017) also reveals that the lack of “standardization in sign deployment” for emojis can lead lead to miscommunication. British linguist David Crystal (2008) echoes this concern, stating that the unique linguistic features of the texting language may lead to confusion and frustration if both users do not have an equal understanding of its features.

With this research in mind, I believe that the features used over text, abbreviations and emojis included, may be a form of slang; hence, a way to signify in-group status. A couple may develop certain initialisms, omissions, or emoji phrases that only they understand between each other, in order to discuss certain topics efficiently or prevent understanding by third parties.

Hence, texting may not be a constraint on the expression of thoughts or emotions, unless the two partners belong to different in-groups from which they draw their slang.

Overall, it is important to use texting carefully, as it may not be suitable for all communication purposes. Shanhong Luo of the University of Northern Carolina (2014) states that partners who rely on texting as their primary form of communication have lower relationship satisfaction and a lesser connection. Noelle McManus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (2018) specifically points out the complex usage of “lol” in serious conversations as a potential signal of passive-aggressive behavior. This may take away the power and meaning of a text, hindering the importance of the conversation.

In order to prevent significant forms of miscommunication, it may be important for users to realize that texting is not necessarily a tool for deep and meaningful conversation. The value of texting lies in its ability to quickly and efficiently convey a thought or emotion, with emojis serving as virtual replacements for non-verbal dialogue and tone of voice.

I have concluded that the texting language may benefit romantic relationships if used with care, but may hinder them if neither side is aware of the potential negative effects texting can bring.

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Catcalling and Politeness Theory

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 22:31:04 +0000

Catcalling and Politeness Theory Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/15/2019 - 16:31

¡Qué curvas y yo sin frenos!

By Camila Soffia
Course: Language in US Society (Ling 1000)
Advisor: Maureen Kosse
LURA 2019

What sparked my interest in the topic of catcalling had to be growing up in Santiago, Chile, where I constantly heard my mother being called names when we walked around the street. For example, she’d be called mijita rica, which translates to something like ‘delicious woman.’ I was little, and it always made me curious why people would approach her with these flirty comments when we would just be minding our own business. Now that I took a class that allowed me to focus on this topic, Language in US Society, I was able to learn more about this, and I couldn’t be happier to share it with others. While working on my research paper, I had to watch a few videos about catcalling. I only focused on one because it was related to one of the articles I used, but what was the most interesting to me was how the comment section of the video turned into a warzone to decide whether the catcalling was a compliment or sexual harassment. This inspired the writing of my paper. Many commentators were mentioning that women in general overreact when they are put in these certain situations.

Catcalling is a controversial topic. The arguments are divided into two camps, with some thinking such behavior is a compliment and others thinking it’s sexual harassment. Many men will claim that they are just being nice, while women can’t help but feel attacked. Sexual harassment can happen anywhere and might take different approaches; however, the labeling of sexual harassment differs among individuals and can be influenced by gender, gender roles, and even masculinity.

While any person can experience catcalling or sexual harassment, it is highly under-reported and generally directed towards women. Magley and Shupe (2015) note that two-thirds of women in the military have experienced some sort of sexual harassment, though very few decide to report it. Although catcalling can be found almost everywhere, attitudes towards catcalling seem to vary from person to person. A study by Ferrer-Pérez and Bosch-Fiol (2015) indicates that labeling something as “sexual harassment” is not clear-cut. Students at a Spanish university were given an exam where they were given different scenarios and asked if they considered them to be sexual harassment. Especially notable were the differences between women and men in judging whether or not a behavior was deemed harassment. For example, men were more likely to interpret a remark like “Hi beautiful, can I buy you a drink?” as a benign statement, while women were more likely to perceive it as a catcall with sexualized undertones.

Catcalling can be understood through theories of linguistic politeness. Brown and Levinson (1987) suggest that everyone has both ‘positive face’ and ‘negative face’. ‘Face’ is the public self-image that every person tries to protect. Positive face is “the positive self-image or personality claimed by interactants,” while negative face is “one’s desire that [their] actions be unimpeded by others.” Catcalling can be intimidating, and can threaten both positive and negative face. However, many people do not see catcalling as invading the other person’s privacy. On the topic of piropos (a Spanish term for catcalling), Bailey (2018) writes, “At another level, however, street remarks impose intimacy on passing strangers, thus flouting the normative conventions for interaction through which we manage social and personal risk and establish trust” (p. 2). Who would want to have someone you’ve never seen before approaching you randomly in the street and acting as if they’ve known you forever, as if they had a connection with you? I would venture to say that the majority of people would respond by saying no.

Interestingly, most men doing the catcalling expect the women to react a certain way. They want to capture their attention and get a reaction out of them. Yet women, for the most part, feel intimidated and harassed. Unfortunately, even approaching someone in the street and saying, “Hey beautiful” (Bailey 2017, p. 7) is an example of threatening one’s negative face. The women in these videos are forced to respond to meet expectations of politeness, yet their negative faces are being completely attacked. It’s a smart strategy to threaten one’s negative face in catcalling: the addressee is under pressure to perform to a speaker who is placing her in a subordinate position.

I’d like to think that most people who do the catcalling do not think that they are catcalling; they do not realize that they have threatened someone’s negative face. My research has shown me that there is much disagreement on how to interpret catcalls/piropos, with people seeing them as either compliments or as sexual harassment. It’s important to understand that these interpretations depend on one’s situation in society, as our experiences lead us to different views on what sexual harassment is.

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