(Trans)Gender in the News: Specialized Language in the Press. A corpus-based discourse analysis

Abstract

In recent years, gender variant, non-binary and queer identities have become prominent topics of discussion in society as much as in the field of cultural and linguistic studies, and language has been playing a seminal role in the process of shaping and negotiating these identities. The press, in particular, works as one of the most active agents in the creation of discourses linked to those communities. This paper presents the final outcomes of a research project that focuses on the representation of transgender people in the British press as social actors (van Leeuwen 1996, 2005, 2008) and formulates hypotheses with regard to the use of LSP (Language for Specific Purposes) in this type of representation.