"Dis is Schubert, tough guy": Lingusitic construction of masculinities in a Microsoft ad

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Published: Oct 26, 2018
Keywords:
gender stereotype, Microsoft Composer Collection, masculinity, style shift

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Amy Sheldon

Abstract

In this paper I analyze how an ad for Microsoft Composer Collection represents physical and technical masculinities through constructed speech in contrastive linguistic styles. These linguistic varieties link to our consensual knowledge about gender stereotypes. The ad pictures a menacing white biker guy who is also stylized through tough, working-class talk. As the narrative voice of the ad, he extols Microsofts classical music software. He styleshifts between working-class talk and a highly educated, even arcane, techno-geek talk. I consider Eckert & McConnell-Ginets suggestion that technical masculinity and physical masculinity are disjunct, Kieslings claim that different forms of masculinity compete with each other, and Smiths claim that advertising is increasingly using ironic humor aimed at young males to reinforce traditional notions of masculinity. The ad plays with our beliefs about how linguistic forms depict types of masculinities, but also manipulates linguistic variation to reify masculine stereotypes.

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Issue
Vol. 8 No. 3 (2008): Gender in Language: Classic Questions, New Contexts
Section
Articles

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