The Language and Sexuality Reader

by Deborah Cameron, Don Kulick (Editor), David Valentine (Contributor)

The Language and Sexuality Reader is the first of its kind to bring together material from the fields of anthropology, communication studies, linguistics, medicine and psychology in an examination of the role of sexuality in written and spoken language. Organized into thematic sections, the Reader addresses:

early documentation of vocabulary used by male homosexuals and later work on the existence of a discourse style signifying gay identity the use of language by individuals to present themselves as sexual and gendered subjects the way language reflects, reinforces or challenges cultural norms defining what is 'natural' and desirable in the sphere of sex the verbal communication of sexual desire in different settings, genres and media. The Language and Sexuality Reader includes extracts from: Hideko Abe, Laura M. Ahearn, Rusty Barrett, Deborah Cameron, Kathryn Campbell-Kibler, Donald W. Cory, Justine Coupland, Louie Crew, James Darsey, Penelope Eckert, Susan Ehrlich, Joseph J. Hayes, Scott F. Kiesling, Celia Kitzinger, Don Kulick, William L. Leap, Gershon Legman, Momoko Nakamura, Sally McConnell-Ginet, Julia Penelope, Robert J. Podesva, June Machover Reinisch, Sarah J. Roberts, Stephanie A. Sanders, David Sonenschein, and David Valentine.

Genres: Linguistics, Language, Nonfiction, Sexuality, Feminism, Academia, Gender Studies

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2003

About the author

Deborah Cameron, is a feminist linguist, who holds the Rupert Murdoch Professorship in Language and Communication at Worcester College, Oxford University. She is mainly interested in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. A large part of her academic research is focused on the relationship of language to gender and sexuality.Cameron wrote the book The Myth of Mars And Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages?, published in 2007

Reviews

[Daniel Hammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a exceptional book which manages to communicate complex theoretical ideas in interesting and accessible ways. The key strength of the book is the frequent use of detailed examples from linguistic studies to illustrate complex concepts. Some of my favorites: the fake orgasm scene in the diner from When Harry Met Sally becomes an illustration of what discourse is; the transcript of a man’s defense in a sexual assault case reveals the dominant construction of males as active sexual agents and women as passive—yet he must reverse this in order to plausibly claim that they ‘both’ initiated sex; and the voicings of phone sex workers are used to show how language communicates not only gender but establishes a reflection of the caller’s sexual self-image. Nearly all of the examples used are interesting and illuminating. Even for readers familiar with the theoretical issues explored here, it is difficult to find better real-world examples with which to think about the social construction of sexuality.
There is a strong focus on linguistic methodology (how can we go about studying this in the future?) which was of less interest to and a bit too specialized for the class. The final chapter on desire was very interesting and, as the authors state, a much-needed corrective for studies of sexuality which focus only on identity categories while ignoring emotion and desire, which are admittedly much harder to access in social research.
I used this book for a class on sexuality. It seemed to me, based on the discussions generated, that the students enjoyed it. At the end of the semester, they told me that they found it difficult to follow and too focused on linguistics to be of general relevance to the topic of human sexuality. In the future, I think I will not use this book for an introductory level class, but I would use it for an advanced class or a class on linguistic theory.

[Mike Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introductory text for linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics on the study of language and sexuality. We might immediately note the use of 'sexuality' over 'gender.' This is intentional as Cameron and Kulick want to move away from an over focus on gender/sexuality as identity, and want to refocus on aspects of sexuality (like desire) that have been under theorized (when the book was written). This Book also provides a history on the study of language and gender. Also, just a fun read!

[Erin]

I can't even handle how much I want to read this book.

[aleksi k · Rating 4 out of 5]

normally hate it when anthropologists and linguists speak but this was dope

[Isabel Pie · Rating 5 out of 5]

reflexões complexas explicadas de forma simples, trazendo estudos e experimentos muito interessantes para ilustrar os temas debatidos. uma boa reflexão sobre como repensar a relação entre lingüística e sexualidade no contexto pós teoria Queer

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book with some truly hilarious examples. Presents complex issues in a very simple way.