Naturally, those in power at the beeb had to be seen to act against homophobic attitudes, and quite rightly so. What they failed to acknowledge, however, is the fundamental shift in the lexical range of this word. Just as the meaning of gay shifted dramatically from being a reference to all things carefree and happy-go-lucky in the 40s and 50s to being synonymous with homosexuality and same-sex lurrvvve, it has again changed in meaning to the point where it is now an adjective often as not used to describe lameness and lack of cool. When Clarkson says that such a car isn’t to his liking because ‘it’s just gay’, it’s my feeling that he isn’t suggesting that the car isn’t suitable for him as its target market is the homosexual community of which he isn’t a part, rather that it’s merely lacking in that certain cool factor.
This is an important point for us language teachers as shifts in word meaning / lexical coverage are not handled very well by our industry / profession. Not that subjects such as homosexuality are dealt with in course books (much too controversial), nor that the shift in meaning has meant that gay no longer has any, er, gay connotations, it’s that Clarkson’s show is available to a worldwide audience and the BBC’s assertion on this matter was just wrong. This idea of flexibility and changeable meaning has to gain more prominence or we’ll find ourselves having to justify definitions that are outdated and just plain wrong.
Nothing new there, I hear those of you who have just spent the last week explaining why ‘whom’ is still a vitally important part of English say. Maybe, but we shouldn’t be waiting for published materials to catch up with real language, as I feel is too often the case. In Turkey, I find myself faced with societal attitudes towards the issue of homosexuality which differ to my own. Whilst I may feel that attitudes towards this issue are archaic, I respect the fact that Turkish society can do without an outsider imposing his opinions on what he feels is right and wrong. When it comes to archaic language, however, what I can and must do is make sure that the language my students learn is not outdated.
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Not sure I’d agree. I think it’s a derogatory term for something being judged as uncool and lame BECAUSE it’s homosexual and not in spite of the fact.
Yes, thank you Anonymous – the way Clarkson used the word “gay” retains the meaning “homosexual”, and connects it with the idea that gay people (extension:things) are sub-par, undesirable, uncool, or otherwise shit.
This is straightforwardly hurtful to gay people, and is language that must be addressed in the classroom just like any other identity-based abuse, racial, religious or otherwise.