Language and Masculinities

"This book is deliberately figured as a successor to Language and Masculinity, the 1997 volume edited by Sally Johnson and Ulrike Meinhof. That book was the product of a zeitgeist, and the volume currently under review is a more than worthy heir to its inspirational volume, and even surpasses it: the contributions in the current volume push forward significantly the fields of language and gender and language and sexuality [...] We are left with a satisfying exploration of gender and language and excitement about new frontiers in language and sexuality, desire, and identity" -- Scott Kiesling, Language in Society "An exciting and ground-breaking new collection in which Milani and his international group of contributors bring the study of language and masculinities bang up to date for the 21st century. A theoretical and empirical tour de force." -- Sally Johnson, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, University of Leeds, UK "Since the publication of Johnsons and Meinhofs book, Language and Masculinity, almost 20 years ago, this impressive collection is the first to focus exclusively on the interconnections of language and masculinities. The volume provides a state-of-the-art treatment of current developments in the field: informed by feminist politics and by queer theory, it both interrogates the production of hegemonic masculinities and the naturalized relationship between masculinities and male-bodied subjects. It is theoretically sophisticated, methodologically varied and spans a range of geographical locationsan essential read for scholars of language, gender and sexuality." -- Professor Susan Ehrlich, York University, Toronto, Canada

Tommaso M. Milani is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His main areas of research include language politics and ideology, language, gender and sexuality and queer theory. He has published in several international journals including Language in Society, Journal of Sociolinguistics, and Discourse & Society. He is currently co-editor of the journals Gender and Language, and African Studies.

Introduction: Language and Masculinities 20 Years Later Tommaso M. Milani 1. Theorizing Language and Masculinities Tommaso M. Milani 2. Two Hundred Years of the American Man Paul Baker 3. Fight Narratives, Covert Prestige, and Performances of Tough Masculinity: Some Insights from an Urban Center Robert Lawson 4. Emceeing Toughness, Toughing Up the Emcee: Language and Masculine Ideology in Freestyle Rap Performances Quentin E. Williams 5. Construing the New Oppressed: Masculinity in Crisis and the Backlash against Feminism Michelle M. Lazar 6. Diminutives and Masculinity in Brazilian Portuguese Ronald Beline Mendes 7. The Ideal Gay Man: Narrating Masculinity and National Identity in Israel Erez Levon 8. No Ordinary Boy: Language, Masculinities, and Queer Pornography Veronika Koller 9. Masculinity in Lesbian Discourse: The Case of Butch and Femme Lucy Jones 10. Transmasculinity and the Voice: Gender Assignment, Identity, and Presentation Lal Zimman 11. Reclaiming Masculinity in an Account of Lived Intersex Experience: Language, Desire, and Embodied Knowledge Brian W. King