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Article published In: Asian Perspectives on Queer Discourse
Edited by Ke Zhang and Chao Lu
[Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 33:2] 2023
► pp. 111–136

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Negotiating the language of gender and sexuality

A case study of educational materials from Cambodia

 | Hong Kong Baptist University
 | The University of Hong Kong
Published online: 28 October 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00095.row
Abstract
This case study focuses on the educational materials created by an NGO drop-in centre for the queer/questioning community in a Cambodian city. These materials consist of bilingual posters (English and Khmer) on display at the centre which provide explanations to those who make use of this space about diverse gender/sexual identities (LGBTQ+), as well as online resources featured on the NGO’s website/social media that raise awareness of these issues at both local and global levels. The study seeks to gain critical insight into the use of certain linguistic resources for sexuality education at this site of instruction. To do so, we present a multimodal discourse analysis of a sample of the materials, together with an analysis of metapragmatic reflections drawn from interviews conducted with the centre’s director. We therefore attend to how multilingual linguistic resources, and other semiotic forms, are being used to foster and shape knowledges about gender and sexualities at this site of community engagement, and how a metapragmatic negotiation of these knowledges in the interview reveals identity work that impacts these linguistic choices and their potential effects.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.A global or a local language of gender and sexuality?
  • 3.Methodological and analytical considerations
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1aMultimodal analysis of the ‘definition’ poster: ‘gay’
    • 4.1bAnalysis of interview Extract 1
    • 4.1cAnalysis of interview Extract 2
    • 4.2aMultimodal analysis of ‘Language awareness’ poster: ‘avoid these words’
    • 4.2bAnalysis of interview Extract 3
    • 4.2cAnalysis of interview Extract 4
    • 4.2dAnalysis of interview Extract 5
  • 5.Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
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Pak, Vincent
2025. Language, Gender, and Sexuality in 2023: Writing from the Thorny Place. Gender and Language 19:1 ► pp. 104 ff. DOI logo

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