Trash: Language, Sexuality, and Social Class

Abstract

This chapter considers four linguistic areas related to the intersection of sexuality and social class. The first is the link among sexual promiscuity, stereotypes of working-class sexuality, and ideologies of “vulgar” or “obscene” language. The second area considers the role of class in patterns of language change and changes in sexual normativity, both of which show movement from the middle class outward. The third area considered is the relationship between stereotypes of social class and LGBTQ+ identities, where negative portrayals of the working class remain constant across contrasting views of LGBTQ+ identities. The final area considered is the way in which language related to sexuality reproduces social forms of class inequality, particularly though diminishing the potential for sexual pleasure among the working class.