Investigation of gay language
This section contains quantitative analysis of language features of homosexual characters in Glee season 3. This analysis is based on Fiscus’s method, which is to count some features of language that stereotypically belongs to women language and men language. The features include hedges, intensifiers, oh my god/like, taboo words, gonna, and guys/man. Lexical hedges and intensifiers are suggested by Lakoff as women linguistic features (Holmes, 2001, p. 286), and phrases oh my god/like strongly indicates femininity (Fiscus, 2011, p. 39). Taboo language is considered as men’s language as it is not socially acceptable since women are expected to behave. Gonna is one of informal form of words of …show more content…
It is because the characters do not simply tend to use the features of women or men’s language. Instead, there is combination between the two languages, especially in Kurt and Blaine use of language. They use the mixture of women and men’s language features. There is however, a clear trend of language features in how Santana and Brittany use language. Santana uses more men’s language elements than women’s elements. Brittany has more women features of language than men features of language. Nonetheless, in Santana’s case, even though men’s language is dominant, she also still has women style in using taboo words, which uses euphemism form of taboo language. This therefore, shows that Glee season 3 does not follow the notion of how homosexual …show more content…
In general, their conversations are more polite and collaborative compared to Kurt and Blaine’s conversations. Polite and collaborative conversations are considered as women to women talk. Here is the excerpt of Santana and Brittany’s conversation. This excerpt occurred when Santana asked Brittany’s clarification about their status of relationship.
1 Santana: Brit (.) I want to talk about um (,) you know (,) that thing that we never talk
2 about
3 Brittany: What (,) that Sour Patch Kids are just Gummi Bears that turned to drugs?
4 Santana: Are we dating (,) or what?
5 Brittany: Wait, isn't this a date? Aren't you paying? 'Cause I ordered shrimp (.) Wasn't
6 last week when we were taking a bath together (,) wasn't that a date? ((Santana
7 is starting to look sad)) Are you crying?
8 Santana: It's just that I'm really happy
9 Brittany: Well (,) I told you last year that if I'm single and you're single (,) that we'd
10 mingle (.) And if there's any controversy that interferes with my presidential
11 campaign (,) the::n I'll use one of my leprechaun wishes to win the