Linguistic structures, social structures and breaches. Considerations in French language
In this presentation, I first propose an overview of the structuralist analyses that have been provided for gender in French over the 20th and 21st centuries, and a presentation of the feminist and queer practices of the French language over the last 50 years. Based on these frames, I propose to explore the relations between social structure and linguistic structure from a double perspective: materialist and queer as well as structuralist and anomalist. Gender is indeed a really good candidate for exploring the notion of structure, both in terms of the relations between different types of structures and because of the limitations of a mere structural approach. Moreover, combining questions of linguistic norms and ideologies with the analysis of linguistic forms allows us to see how linguistic ideologies (of both speakers and linguists) can influence the social aspects of linguistic structures. This will lead us to understand feminism and queer as cultures of discourse and therefore to understand the different types of feminist linguistic interventions as political stances about gender but also, and most importantly for this talk, as political stances about language. This final argument will lead us to a severe critique of the paradigm of inclusion.
Julie Abbou is currently working as Assistant Professor in French Linguistics at the University of Turin (Department of Cultures, Politics and Society). Her main research interests center on the social and political dimensions of the French language, including its sociolinguistic practices, grammatical gender analysis, and socio-discursive dynamics of identity, otherness, and ideologies.
Language, gender and social interaction: evidence from Galicia, Spain
In this conference, I will provide a review of an area in the study of language, gender, and sexuality, which puts the focus on discourse and social interaction. The development of studies around these lines will be presented, from the incipient use of the term “gender” in contrast to “sex”, passing through the debate on the so-called dominance and (cultural) difference perspectives on female and male talk, until the theoretization of gender as performance and the application of queer perspectives in the study of social interaction. The review of this area, which has shown a clear dominance of studies on English, will be complemented with examples of empirical research of my own, based on recordings of natural interactions from Galicia (Spain), in Spanish and/or Galician languages. This research has addressed a range of prominent topics in the field, such as ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ speaking styles, women's and men's storytelling and humour, gossip, small talk or discourse markers and taboo words, among others. The general aim of this review is to stimulate more research in the area based on data from Romance languages.
Antonia Virginia Acuña Ferreira is Associate Professor of Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Vigo (Spain). She has developed a special interest in Discourse Analysis through the lens of Pragmatics, Interactional Sociolinguistics and Conversation Analysis. Within this field, her primary focus is on the performance of gender in informal conversations in Galician and Spanish.
Perceiving Sexual Orientation from Voice: Exploring Stereotypes and Discrimination
In this talk, I will explore how listeners use vocal cues to infer sexual orientation and how voice-based categorisations – commonly referred to as the "auditory gaydar" – operate across different languages (e.g., Italian, Portuguese). I will also present findings on cross-language categorisation and examine how self-presentation strategies, such as speakers’ voice modulation, influence these perceptions. Then, I will present research showing the stereotyping and negative consequences associated with being perceived as gay-sounding in various contexts, such as hiring decisions. Finally, I will discuss potential strategies aimed at reducing biases toward gay-sounding speakers.
Fabio Fasoli is a Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology and co-director of the Sex, Gender, and Sexualities Research Centre at the University of Surrey. His research examines language and communication in the context of gender and sexual minority stigma, with a particular focus on vocal cues of sexual orientation.