Gender, sexuality and the English language

The field of language and gender has changed considerably over the past few decades, moving from the biologically-defined categorization of sex common in the 1960s and 1970s towards the more socially-constructed understanding of gender that is common today. This expanded understanding of ‘gender’ has allowed researchers to explore the linguistic construction and reification of sexualities and trans identities, as well as multiple masculinities and femininities.