(no subject)

[nny]

Damn, damn and more damn.

There was a concept that I was going to use in my essay, but I can't find the supporting quote I was sure existed in my linguistic theory book.

Essentially my argument was that the use of 'gay' as a perjorative unrelated to homosexuality (for example, "these trainers are so gay") is harmful, since it links the term 'gay' with the concept of negativity, whether or not the pupil is being intentionally homophobic. I was sure there was something about that in mah book, but the closest I can get is de Saussure's work on signifier and signified and the arbitrary nature of linguistic signs, which isn't quite what I'm looking for.

I'm sure it's been pointed out somewhere or other but that means more time spent looking, which is time I can't spare right now.

*pouts*

I guess I'll get on with reading what I have got, and move onto that later if I manage to scrape some time together at the end.

Heh.

Comments

[torakowalski.livejournal.com]

*pets*

Can you do what I always used to do and just ask Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=gay+as+pejorative&hl=en&lr=&btnG=Search)?

[philippos42.livejournal.com]

Also, it's implicitly dismissive (through a second degree of separation) of the generally merry.

[philippos42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't know where I am, wandered in through some friend of a friend's f-list.

[villainny.livejournal.com]

I've tried but I have no idea how to phrase it. XD

[villainny.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

Also true. Bastards.

[villainny.livejournal.com]

*grins*

It's cool, I totally do that all the time.

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

History!

The word "bad", back in Middle English days, started out as a slang term for "homosexual". But people (esp 14 y.o. boys and those who thought like them, I'm betting) used it for anything they didn't like, so in time it came to mean just plain "the opposite of good".

[villainny.livejournal.com]

Doesn't quite support the argument, though, since there has been an entire shift of meaning now; it'd present the argument instead that 'gay' will just be replaced with something else. Or. Something. Fuckin' 'ell, what am I even talking about, at this point? XD

Too late at night for scholarly discussions.

[midnight-violet.livejournal.com]

reads like you're making a well thought out, sound point anyway whether its in the book as well or not.

[tropes.livejournal.com]

Hahahah I totally called something gay the other day. Because I am a jerk.