I Non-Binary Speech, Race, and Non-Normative Gender
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Non-binary speech, race, and non-normative gender: Sociolinguistic style beyond the binary Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ariana June Steele, B.A. Linguistics Graduate Program The Ohio State University 2019 Thesis Committee: Kathryn Campbell-Kibler, Adviser Cynthia Clopper i Copyright by Ariana June Steele 2019 ii Abstract Non-binary speech is understudied in the realm of sociolinguistics. Previous studies on non- binary speech (Kirtley 2015; Gratton 2016; Jas 2018) suggest that non-binary speakers are able to make use of linguistic variables that have been tied to binary gender in novel ways, often dependent on social context and goals, though these studies are limited in scope, considering eight or feWer non-binary talkers in their studies. Research into sociolinguistic style (Eckert 2008; Campbell-Kibler 2011) emphasiZes the ways that multiple linguistic and extralinguistic variables can be employed simultaneously to construct coherent styles, leaving room for speaker race to be included in the stylistic context (Pharao et al. 2014). Zimman’s (2017) study on transmasculine speakers showed that speakers can employ binary gendered linguistic variables in speech styles to position themselves towards or against normative binary gender. The current study considers how tWenty non-binary speakers, stratified by sex assigned at birth and race, use /s/ and f0, variables which tied to gender in previous research, alongside clothing to construct non-binary gendered styles. Results further support that race is an important construct in understanding gendered speech, as Black non-binary speakers produce /s/ differently with respect to self-identified masculinity than do white non-binary speakers. Overall, non-binary speakers align with other speakers who position themselves with non-normative gender expressions through their use of /s/ and f0. i Acknowledgements I’d like to thank my adviser, Kathryn Campbell-Kibler, who not only has given me invaluable advice on my research and writing of this project, but has helped me look beyond my worries to the greatness in the work that I’m doing. I’d also like to thank Cynthia Clopper and Jian Chen, my QP1 committee members, for their feedback and support on the research and writing herein. The discussion group SoMean has been integral to my conceptualiZing of this research – I thank you all immensely for your comments. Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my friends and family who have been there throughout this journey: Mom, Dad, Jayleen, Josh, and Javi. You have all given me the strength to make this happen, and I’m forever greatful. ii Vita 2012 ................................................... Thomas Jefferson High School 2016 ................................................... B.A. Linguistics & Cognitive Science, Northwestern University 2016 to 2017 ...................................... Graduate Enrichment Fellow, Department of Linguistics, The Ohio State University 2017 to 2018 ...................................... Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Linguistics, The Ohio State University 2018 to present .................................. Fellow, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fields of Study Major Field: Linguistics SpecialiZation: Sociophonetics iii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... ii Vita ........................................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ vii Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 Literature RevieW .................................................................................................................. 3 Methods ................................................................................................................................. 16 Population & Participants ................................................................................................ 16 Gender Questionnaire ...................................................................................................... 17 Ethnographic IntervieW ................................................................................................... 18 Reading Passage .............................................................................................................. 19 Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 20 Phonetic Analysis ............................................................................................................ 20 Analysis of Styles ............................................................................................................ 21 Statistical Analysis .......................................................................................................... 25 Results & Discussion ............................................................................................................. 27 f0 Results ......................................................................................................................... 27 /s/ Results ......................................................................................................................... 30 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 34 iv References ............................................................................................................................. 38 Appendix A: Gender Questionnaire ...................................................................................... 41 Appendix B: IntervieW Guide ............................................................................................... 43 Appendix C: /s/ and f0 Word Lists ........................................................................................ 46 Appendix D: Participants’ Visibility Scores and Self-Descriptions of Their Clothing on the Day of Their IntervieW .......................................................................................................... 48 v List of Tables Table 1. Participant information ............................................................................................ 17 Table 2. Indexical markers from participant descriptions of clothing styles noted in Phase I of style coding ....................................................................................................... 22 Table 3. Indexical markers of visibility levels with number of participants in each style. .............................................................................................................................. 24 Table 4. Linear mixed effects regression model results of demographic predictors for CoG in HertZ ................................................................................................... 27 Table 5. Linear mixed effects regression model results of visibility predictor for CoG in HertZ. ......................................................................................................................... 28 Table 6. Linear mixed effects regression model results of demographic predictors for f0 in HertZ. ...................................................................................................... 30 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Femininity ratings by masculinity ratings for all speakers. ................................... 26 Figure 2. CoG by masculinity for Black and white speakers. ............................................... 28 Figure 3. CoG by visibility level. .......................................................................................... 29 Figure 4. Boxplot of f0 by sex assigned at birth. ................................................................... 31 Figure 5. f0 by femininity. ..................................................................................................... 32 Figure 6. f0 by femininity ratings with sex assigned at birth. ............................................... 33 vii Introduction In linguistics, the speech of people who align themselves against normative gender and race is severely understudied, and especially so in sociolinguistics/sociophonetics. As Gaudio (1994) said on cisgender gay men’s speech before it had been thoroughly studied, “in linguistics… we have barely left the earlier days of enforced invisibility and negative stereotypes” (pp. 30). In the current study, I aim to lessen the gap in understanding of and garner greater visibility for speakers who fit in neither normative genders nor majority racial identities. Through focusing on non-binary speakers and equally centering Black and white non-binary speakers, this study adds to growing sociolinguistic research that suggests that gender is not expressed in