This paper examines linguistic landscape in the context of the 2017 Metro Manila Pride March. Through non-fixed signs (protest signages, t-shirts, flags), I examine the ways in which language and various modes of modality are... [ view full abstract ]
This paper examines linguistic landscape in the context of the 2017 Metro Manila Pride March. Through non-fixed signs (protest signages, t-shirts, flags), I examine the ways in which language and various modes of modality are used in this LGBT event to create a spatial and temporal means of visibility and dissent for sexual minorities. Using multi-modal discourse analysis combined with queer theory, I examine these “sexed” signs, first, as a means to challenge and convey opposition against heteronormative discourses that suppress sexual minorities and, second, as a means to embed assimilationist discourse (Milani, 2013). The data includes 100 images that were taken during the event. Focusing on 10 images that best represent the landscape, I uncover the ways in which resistance is expressed. For instance, participants of the pride march utilize the color of the rainbow, a widely recognized symbol of LGBT pride, to show solidarity and mark identification with and within the non-heterosexual community. In addition, multi-modal resources are utilized to embed and articulate discourses of (homo)sexuality. In particular, pride march participants lay claims to human rights issues by invoking humanitarian discursive practice such as “gay rights are human rights.” This challenges institutionalized definitions of “humanness,” reinforcing an essentialist understanding of sexual identity, and becomes predominant in the event. Another discourse that appears to be embedded in these “sexed signs” is that of “sameness” between heterosexuals and non-heterosexuals. This discourse is strategically utilized to suggest an assimilationist stance towards achieving equality. In doing so, pride march participants exhibit an attempt to transgress the heter/non-hetero binary through a (re)inscription of norms. This study aims contribute to the growing scholarship within the discipline of linguistic landscapes that have for the most part overlooked issues of sexuality, specifically through the examination of a localized LGBT event.
References
Milani, T. (2013). Whither linguistic landscapes? The sexed facets of ordinary signs. Tilburg Papers in Culture Studies 53. Tilburg: Tilburg University. Retrieved from http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/upload/8bb66cff-8b94-4270-8e5ff35f3e620a89_TPCS_53_Milani.pdf
Kress, G & Van Leeuwen, T. (1996). Reading Images: The Grammar of VisualDesign. London and New York: Routledge.
