The performativity of language - Grow Think Tank

Language allows connection throughout the world and once it is acted upon, it becomes performative. This signifies that it implies consequences ... Share Share DownloadPDF Inoureverydaylife,wesometimesuselanguageperformativitywithoutknowingit.Itisaboutthewordsthatcount,whichmeansthatthemomentthelanguageisspoken,theactionitindicatesisrealizedtoo. Thistheory,basedonlinguistics,isveryapplicablenowadaysinresistancesandmovements,especiallyofgender.Inthisarticle,wewillfocusonthetransformationoftheperformativityoflanguage. Inordertobetterunderstandwhatislanguageperformativity,wehavetodifferentiatetwotypesoflanguages:the“ordinary”language,whichweuseindailylifetoexpressourselves,andthephilosophicallanguageorthetechnicallanguagethatweusuallyworkwith,inuniversityandforresearch.ForJohnLangshawAustin,thelanguageisnotonlyusefulfordescriptionorforself-reflectionbutalsousefulwithaperformativequality.Languageallowsconnectionthroughouttheworldandonceitisactedupon,itbecomesperformative.Thissignifiesthatitimpliesconsequencesandthereforeengagesitselfwitharesponsibilityforthepersontoactuponthewordsheorshehasspoken.Aprobativeexamplewouldbetheroleofajudgeinatribunal:whenthejudgeannounces“thiscourtisnowinsession”,thesewordsareacteduponimmediatelyandimplythatthesessionofthecourthasstarted.Whiletheperformativelanguagesignifiesthatwedonotjust“say”something,weactually“do”thethingaccordingtothebiasoflanguage.  Nevertheless,thisperformativityisdefinedbysocialnormsandconventionsandsupposesacertainstatusforthewordstobeeffectiveornot.Thus,inatribunal,thesentencecanonlybedeclaredbythejudgeandnooneelse,theperformativityofitsstatementsdependsonitsstatus.AccordingtoJ.LAustin,anystatementhasthreefunctions:Firstandforemost,theutterancehasalocutionaryfunction,thatis,theactionofspeakinginsteadofbeingsilent.Thesecondfunctionistheillocutionaryactthatcreatesanewrealitythroughtheutterance.Finally,theperlocutionaryact,whichistheactofprovokingdesiredorunforeseenfeelingsinthelistenerdependingonhowthispersonreceivestheinformation. Thelastfunctionimpliesthateachandeveryindividualisaffecteddifferentlybylanguage.Thereby,languageperformativitynotonlydescribesrealitybutalsocreatesnewstandardsandanewreality.Languagetakesonitsfullsenseasatoolusedbythevariousmovementsofstruggleswhichseektoconstructordeconstructsocialrealities.Todoso,wewillanalyzetheperformativityoflanguageanditsroleinthegenderandfeministfights. Languageperformativityisatoolofgreatvalueinthefightforfeminismbecauseitisopposedtothisvisionoflanguageasasimplerepresentationofrealityandthusallowsacritiqueof“l’illusiondelanaturalitédesrapportssociauxetdeladomination“1,accordingtoMonaGérardin. Thefeministstrugglesseektodeconstructandchallengethenaturalizationofoppressionanddomination,whichresultsinthesilencingofoppressedpeopleandthedominanceofcertaindiscourses.Thisnaturalizationcanbechallengedbyspeakinginwhichlanguageplaysaprimordialrole. Howdofeministstrugglesuselanguageanditsperformativitytosupporttheirdiscourseinthecreationofnewsocialrealitiesandnewsocialcodes? Firstofall,theemergenceofinclusivewritingisshakinguptheveryfoundationsoflanguagebyquestioningagrammaticalprinciplewellanchoredinthementalitieswhichassumesthat“themasculineprevailsoverthefeminine”.AninternalizedruleoftheFrenchlanguagethatremainsaformofdominationofonesexoveranother,andwhichcanhoweverbetransformedbytheuseofinclusivewriting.Likewise,thefeminizationofcertainwordsandprofessionscompensatesfortheinvisibilityofwomen’srolesinsociety.AratherrevealingparadoxoftheimportanceofthefeminizationoftheFrenchlanguagewasraisedduringamicrosidewalkbytheEgaligoneinstituteinthestreetsofLyonin2013:“Athirteen-year-oldchildisinthecarwithhisfatherwhentheyhaveanaccident.Theambulancecomestopickthemup,andthefatherdiesontheway.Thechildistakentothehospital.Thebestdoctorinthehospitalwalksintotheoperatingroom,seesthechildandexclaims:“ButIcan’toperateonhim,he’smyson!”Howisitpossible?”.Mostofthoseintervieweddidnotthoughtthatthedoctorcouldbeawomanandthemotherofthechild.Indeed,foraverylongtime,certainprofessionsdidnothaveafemaleequivalent.Thisdetailmayseemtrivial,yetitisinrealityabarrierbetweenwomenandcertainprofessionalpaths.HayatOutahar,presidentoftheAssociationFemmes-Entrepreneursexplains:“Atradenamethatdoesnothaveafemaleequivalentdoesnothelpyounggirlsidentifywithit”2.Thus,therearefewfemalefirefightersorsurgeons,becausethefactthatthefemininenameoftheseprofessionsisrarelyusedisoneofthefactorscontributingtomaintainingtheideathattheyareformenonly.ElianeViennot,ahistorianofFrenchliterature,pointsoutthattheleastsociallyvaluedprofessionshaveneverbeendeprivedoftheirfemaleequivalents3. Themostrevealingactoftheuseoftheperformativityoflanguageinfeministstrugglesistheconsistentuseofslogans.AccordingtoMonaGérardin,inherarticle“Lelangageestunlieudelutte:laperformativitédulangageordinairedanslaconstructiondugenreetlesluttesféministes“4,theslogansare“criticaldiscursivepracticesbecausetheirinsurrectionalforcerestsonthecriticismwhichmakessocialorder.”Theslogansareintendedtocriticizeandfightagainstthedominantideology.Thus,accordingtoMonaGérardin-Laverge,inlinguisticpracticewecandistinguishthreedifferentprocessesthattransformgenderandsubjectivities.Theseprocessesare:“contestation”,“deconstructionthroughcriticalanalysis”and“assertionofone’sownpoweranddeterminationtofight”. Feministslogansareachallenge.Throughlinguisticwork,theyunderlinetheimportancegiventothemeaningofwords.Slogansusedifferentlinguisticmeanssuchasredefinitions,reappropriationsorevenextensionsoftermsandwords.Inthe1970s,feministsloganstookupMarxistoranti-fascisttermsappliedtopatriarchaloppressionsuchas“Rapeisanunrecognizedfascism” (1789).Someslogansalsousesemantichijackingorironicreworkingofdiscursivestructuresasinthestructureofthedefinitionandofthe“dictionary”stylein“Feminismisanextremisttheorywhichconsistsofconsideringwomenashumanbeings”(1791).Thereisalsoauseofthemilitantanarchistrepertoire.Forexample,thediversionoftheexpression“historicalmaterialism”whichbecomes“hystericalmaterialism”.Finally,wearewitnessingthecreationofnewwordssuchas“hetero-authority”or“heterorism”andthereappropriationofinsultsandoffensiveremarks(PinkBlocbanner:“Freeslutssolidarity”;posterofthePinkBloc:“Proudtobetheshameofthenation”). Thelinguisticworkoffeministsloganscarriesoutadeconstructionofthedominantnormsandputsforwardnewdiscoursesinconflictwiththedominantonewhichtriestoconcealthisconflictovergenderthroughsilence.Thereappropriationofinsultingtermsmakesitpossibletokeepamemoryandaims,nottoerasetheseinsults,butrathertoleadinaprocessofreparation.Feministcollagesinthestreetsgivespecialvisibilitytotheseslogansandbringaconcreteaspecttotheirperformativitythatappliesdirectlytoaplacethatwomenreclaimthankstofeminism:thestreet.Theperformativityoflanguagebringsasocialdimensiontodiscoursesandconfersapowerofactionandoftransformingsocialnormstoprotestmovementsthatusethispowerintheeverydaylanguageweallshare. Feministstrugglesarenottheonlyonestoemploylanguageperformativity,LGBTQIA+strugglesalsousethisperformativitywithintheiractivism. Howdoesperformativelanguageallowthedeconstructionofsexandgender? Originally,theword“queer”isaninsultwhichintendstopointoutthe“strange”characterofwhoeveritdesignates.Itisopposedto“straight”(heterosexual)andhasbeenusedsincethe20thcenturytodenouncetheso-called“deviant”sexualities.Inreaction,fromtheyears1970s-1980s,groupsoflesbiansappropriatedthistermandcarrieditasaslogantoclaimtheirrights,inthefaceofanAmericansocietyofheterosexual,white,middleclassnorms,todenouncethemarginalizationandexclusionoftheLGBTQIA+community.Morebroadly,behindtheseclaims,theword“queer”referstothedesirenottobelongtoanalreadyexistinggroup. Thegoalofthe“queer”movementistochallengetheprincipleofmale/femalebinaritybydeconstructingtheassumptionsofsexandgender.Sexreferstobiologicaldifferences,whilegenderreferstosexualidentity,thatis,socialandculturaldifferencesbetweenmaleandfemale.Basedonthemasculine/femininebinarity,sexandgenderarebornoutofthediscoursethatsetsheterosexualityasthenorminoursocialreality.Theideaistherefore,throughlanguage,usingtheterm“queer”,totranscribeallsocialrealitiestomakevisiblethosethatithaslongagreedtomarginalize,oreventocriminalize.Thewayinwhichtheselesbiangroupshaveappropriatedtheterm“queer”hasenabledthemtoclaimtheirrightsandtodeconstructasocialrealitywhosenormisheterosexualityandgenderbinarityinanattempttoimposeanewone:onethatnormalizesalltypesofsexuality,andthatdeconstructsgenderidentitybasedonmale/femaleopposition.Thesimpleactofchangingtheconnotationofawordhas,infiftyyears,changedperspectivesofprevailingsexandgendernorms. Thus,languageplaysakeyroleinthestruggleforthedeconstructionofsexandgender.ThisiswhatJudithButler5tendstodemonstrateinGenderTroubles,anessentialbooktothedevelopmentofthequeertheory.ButlerdrawsonAustin’slinguisticphilosophyoflanguageperformativitytoapplyittothegenderquestion.Indeed,accordingtoher,atbirth,whenthedoctordeclaresthatababyisagirloraboy,asituationoflanguageperformativityiscreated.Inotherwords,bysayingthesewords,heorsheinfluencesthelifeofthechild,whowillthenhaveinjunctionsgenderedaccordingtohisorhersex,whichheorshewillhavetocomplywiththroughouthisorherlife.Butler’sconclusionissimple:inordertobeamanorawoman,youhavetorepeatfeminineormasculineattitudeseveryday,basedonconstructionsthathavenonaturalbasis.Genderisaproductofthenormsembodiedinperformativediscourses,likeforexample,arealgirlshouldhavelonghair,oraboyshouldnotshowhisemotions,etc.Therefore,performanceisinternalizedandsuffered.Thisisasocialconstraintthatmasqueradesasanaturalattitude.Sincegenderisalwaysanimitation,itisimpossibleaccordingtoButlertobeentirelyawomanoraman.Noonecanalwaysconformtosocialnorms.Thisiswhytherearetroubleswiththisgenderedbi-categorizationofoursociety. Theuseofinclusivewritingcanthenparticipateintheintegrationofpeoplewhodonotidentifywiththismale/femaledynamic.Despitethecriticismsmadeabouttheinvisibilizationofnon-binarypeople,inclusivewritingallowsthecreationofaneutralterm,inparticularbyusingthemidpoint.Inaddition,neutralneologismslike“auteurice“6and thepronoun“iel“7 areincreasinglyused,especiallyinqueercircles. Toconclude,itisnecessarytowonderaboutthecategoriesandtermsusedtodescribeasocialreality,orthecarriersofdemands.Itisinterestingtoquestionthedemocratizationoftheperformativityoflanguage.Intheoriginaltheories,likeAustin’sone,onlycertainpeoplehadthepowertocreateaperformativesituation,likethejudge,themayor,etc.Today,bytransforminglanguage,usinginclusivewriting,slogansortheappropriationoforiginallydiscriminatingtermssuchas“queer”,anyonecanproduceaperformativesituation.Theslogansofsocialstruggleshavealwaysdenouncedandquestionedthedominantnormsandideologies.AccordingtothelinguistLaéliaVéron8:“Languagecanbeasmuchaninstrumentofdominationasofdeconstructionofthisdomination.Wecanthereforegrasplanguageinaprocessoffreedomandemancipation.”Thus,asstrugglesgothroughlanguageanditsappropriation,activistsmaybeledtoproducenewterms,butalsotoupdateforgottenwordssuchas“adelphe”,“sorority”,oreven“paintress”,thuspartofahistoricalprocess. Becausenamingrightallowsustothinkwellaboutthehumanworld,theGROWteamstrivestodevelopalanguagethatisasinclusive,egalitarianandspecificaspossible.Inordertorespectouradvocatedvalues​​ofequality,itseemsessentialtoneutralizethedegradingconnotationsresultingfromthehistoriesofdominationthatarecarriedbymanytermsandexpressionsofordinarylanguage.Frenchsocietyhasadoptedapartialfeminizationofnamesandfunctions,thusrevisingsomeofitspreconceptionsresultingfromaconservativeandsexualdivisionoflabor,butthisisstilltoolittletoreachafullyegalitariansociety,letusrecallthatstillin2017,theAcadémieFrançaisequalifiedinclusivewritingas“mortaldanger”9.Consequently,thetransitiontoamoretolerantlinguisticisaconstantanddailyworkthateveryonecanaccomplishbygivingmoreimportancetowords,theirgrammar,theirconnotation,theirsymbolismandfinallytheconsequencesthattheycanhaveonthecreationofnewprogressivesocialcodes,justasavoluntarysilencecanreflectanon-recognitionofthesestruggles. REFERENCES AUSTIN,J.(1970). Quanddire,c’estfaire.Paris:Éd.DuSeuil.  BUTLER,J.(1990).Troubledanslegenre.Pourunféminismedelasubversion.Paris:Ed.LaDécouverte.  GÉRARDIN‑LAVERGE,M.(2018).Lelangageestunlieudelutte:laperformativitédulangageordinairedanslaconstructiondugenreetlesluttesféministes.Philosophie.UniversitéPanthéon-Sorbonne–ParisI.Availableat:https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-02132698/document[Accessed23Aug.2020]. PECH,M-E.(2017).Pourl’Académie,l’écritureinclusiveestun“périlmortel”.lefigaro.fr.[online]26Oct. Availableat:https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2017/10/26/01016-20171026ARTFIG00256-l-academie-francaise-met-en-garde-contre-le-peril-mortel-de-l-ecriture-inclusive.php[Accessed23Aug.2020]. POULIQUEN,F.(2019).Autrice,professeuse,procureure…Pourquoilaféminisationdesnomsdemétierspose-t-elleaujourd’huiproblème?.20minutes.fr.[online]1Mar.Availableat:https://www.20minutes.fr/societe/2463075-20190301-autrice-professeuse-procureure-pourquoi-feminisation-noms-metiers-pose-aujourdhui-probleme[Accessed23Aug.2020]. GÉRARDIN‑LAVERGE,M.(2017).Performativitédulangageetempowermentféministe. Philonsorbonne.[online]Nov.Availableat:https://journals.openedition.org/philonsorbonne/917[Accessed23Aug.2020]. GÉRARDIN‑LAVERGE,M.(2018).Lelangageestunlieudelutte.Laperformativitédulangageordinairedanslaconstructiondugenreetlesluttesféministes.revue-glad.org.[online]Jun.Availableat: https://www.revue-glad.org/1560[Accessed23Aug.2020]. MACARY-GARIPUY,P.(2006).Lemouvement“queer”:dessexualitésmutantes?.Psychanalyse.[online]Mar.Availableat:https://www.cairn.info/revue-psychanalyse-2006-3-page-43.htm[Accessed23Aug.2020]. EgaliGone,(2013).MicrotrottoirEgaligone-L’énigmeduchirurgien.youtube.com.Availableat:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YebfaWkng9s[Accessed23Aug.2020]. Politikon,(2018).Butler–Troubledanslegenre–DeDicto#18.youtube.com.Availableat:https://youtu.be/8HvZqrpcUyc[Accessed23Aug.2020]. Toquotethearticle: FELTEN,L.LEBOCEY,M.LOUVET,M.OUATTARA,N.(2020).Thelanguageperformativity.GenerationforRightsOvertheWorld.growthinktank.org.[online]11Sept.2020. TranslatedbyJessieLee&AnaïsBrusel ©PhotobyGenerationforRightsOvertheWorld  [+]References ↑1“l’illusiondelanaturalitédesrapportssociauxetdeladomination”canbetranslatedas“theillusionofthenaturalnessofsocialrelationsanddomination”. ↑2POULIQUEN,F.(2019).Autrice,professeuse,procureure…Pourquoilaféminisationdesnomsdemétierspose-t-elleaujourd’huiproblème?.20minutes.fr.[online]1Mar.Availableat:https://www.20minutes.fr/societe/2463075-20190301-autrice-professeuse-procureure-pourquoi-feminisation-noms-metiers-pose-aujourdhui-probleme[Accessed23Aug.2020]. ↑3Ibid. ↑4MonaGérardinissuggestinginherarticlethatlanguageisaplaceofstruggle:theperformativityofordinarylanguageintheconstructionofgenderandfeministstruggles. ↑5BUTLER,J.(1990).Troubledanslegenre.Pourunféminismedelasubversion.Paris:Éd.LaDécouverte. ↑6“auteurice”comesfrom“auteur”(masculinnoun)or“autrice”(femininnoun),thisistheneutralnoun. ↑7“iel”istheanalogueof“they”inEnglish,bothdonotspecifythegenderbut“iel”isasingularpronoun. ↑8POULIQUEN,F.(2019).Autrice,professeuse,procureure…Pourquoilaféminisationdesnomsdemétierspose-t-elleaujourd’huiproblème?.20minutes.fr.[online]1Mar.Availableat:https://www.20minutes.fr/societe/2463075-20190301-autrice-professeuse-procureure-pourquoi-feminisation-noms-metiers-pose-aujourdhui-probleme[Accessed23Aug.2020]. ↑9PECH,M-E.(2017).Pourl’Académie,l’écritureinclusiveestun“périlmortel”.lefigaro.fr.[online]26Oct. Availableat:https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2017/10/26/01016-20171026ARTFIG00256-l-academie-francaise-met-en-garde-contre-le-peril-mortel-de-l-ecriture-inclusive.php[Accessed23Aug.2020]. 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