3.1.7

Diversity Model

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Diversity Model - Valentova and Havlicek

The diversity model claims that there are more differences within the genders than there are between them. It looks closely at things like the language of the LGBT+ community.

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Valentova and Havlicek

  • Czech linguists Valentova and Havlicek investigated what is called someone’s ‘perceived sexual orientation’.
  • They looked at whether or not someone could tell a man’s sexuality based on their aesthetics and voice.
  • Participants could detect someone’s sexuality based on both their voice and how they looked (even by facial features).
  • Participants stated that there was a certain femininity in the voice of the homosexual men, such as elongated /l/ vowel (/l:/) sound in words like ‘towel’.
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Support - Northwestern University

  • Research conducted by Northwestern University in 2004 supports Valentova and Havlicek's findings.
  • This research found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people showed no difference at birth in vowel production, but chose to selectively adopt vowel productions of certain social groups.
  • Their research also found that gay/bisexual men did not necessarily adopt vowel sounds from women and that lesbian/bisexual women did not necessarily adopt vowel sounds from men – it was more from their social groups.

Diversity Model - William Leap

The diversity model claims that there are more differences within the genders than there are between them. Leading linguist William Leap published work on what he denotes as ‘Lavender Linguistics’.

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'Lavender Linguistics'

  • 'Lavender Linguistics' describes the sociolect (language of a social group) of homosexuals.
  • Leap believes that the way homosexuals interact with heterosexuals and with other homosexuals differs.
  • He claims that this is a whole other language.
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Code masking homosexual behaviour

  • Towards the end of the 19th century, a code (a language) developed from performers and workers in theatre, fairgrounds, circuses and fish markets.
  • This code was used to mask homosexual behaviour in a time when it was illegal to be gay.
  • Some terms like ‘naff’ and ‘camp’ are still widely in use, but Polari is not.

The Diversity Model

The diversity model claims that there are more differences within the genders than there are between them. It looks closely at things like the language of the LGBT+ community.

Jump to other topics

1Language Levels

2Language, The Individual & Society

3Language Diversity & Change

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