A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet

[IwantToRetire]

By Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics

It has been suggested that the forum-style parenting website Mumsnet is a hub for ‘gender-critical’ feminism, which directly opposes transgender rights, to be practised with little moderation (Livingston, 2018). This presentation reports on the initial stages of a project aiming to investigate that the potential intensification of linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet may lead to further marginalisation of transgender people offline (Powys Maurice, 2021). Though studies of non-linguistic transphobic rhetoric on Mumsnet (e.g., Pedersen, 2022; Mackenzie, 2019), and discourse analyses of other radical online communities (e.g., Krendel, 2020) have both occurred, this project is the first to analyse linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet. It also contributes to existing literature surrounding UK-based ‘gender-critical’ feminism; linguistic transphobia; and radical online community discourses.

The presentation explores the rise of potentially ‘gender-critical’ linguistic transphobia on Mumsnet over time through the corpus linguistic (CL) analysis of the ‘Feminism: Sex & Gender Discussions’ board, using three corpora comprising a fifteen-year timeframe: 2008-2013; 2013-2018; and 2018-2023. As the project is still ongoing, preliminary findings will be presented, namely a comparative overview of trends yielded in frequency analyses. Overall, this presentation provides insights into the growing commonality of potentially ‘gender-critical’ feminist rhetoric on Mumsnet and its effect on increasing transphobic discourse on the site.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-corpus-assisted-discourse-analysis-of-linguistic-transphobia-on-mumsnet-tickets-880795271367?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

(I had just finished my favourite tea time treat of catching up on FWR and was going to get back to the grindstone when this popped up on my feed. So have come back as it is too good not to be shared. Enjoy!)

People are supposed to pay to listen to word salad?

WERE NO FUCKIN GERBILS

Hilarious! Must get a ticket!

Well that sounds like a rigorously impartial study...

"Waaah, women are allowed to discuss why our pish about men being women is a load of nonsense."

I do love a good corpus.

Oh wait, it's an event! Let's all go!!

I wonder if Prof Pedersen would consider it accurate to describe her 2022 paper as a study of ‘non-linguistic transphobic rhetoric on Mumsnet’.

Is there wine and cheese? I'm only going if there is decent cheddar (and wine)

Tbh I think it's women aren't allowed to discuss men fullstop

This just gives them a cause to hang that onto

Wow, why am I still paying my mortgage when we can all live rent free in their heads like this?

Ahem.

HELLO, TRANTRUMMERS! WOMEN ARE ALLOWED TO TALK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT FEMINISM ON MUMSNET. WE DON'T NEED YOUR PERMISSION. IF IT OFFENDS YOU, DON'T LOOK.

I've registered. See you there! 😂

If you scroll down you’ll see you can report the event. I’m thinking of ticking the “spam” box

I mean, if I was Eden Palmer's PhD supervisor I might be suggesting they need to be supporting their argument with more robust sources than clickbait articles from Vice and Penis News, but what the hell do I know?

Can you imagine the opposite position? That there is a popular website that has a lot of people on it who are TRAs who hold anti-gender critical views with the result that gender critical people are being marginalised in an already cruel society?

'I hope to start a career in forensic linguistics after completing my PhD and hope to gain experience through internships and part-time work that will aid me in a future career.

I am currently undertaking my PhD at Aston University through the Institute of Forensic Linguistics. My thesis aims to analyse transphobic rhetoric on Mumsnet using corpus approaches.

I have recently completed my MA in Forensic Linguistics at Aston University, which involved working with real linguistic cases and presenting findings to clients. The programme allowed me to complete my dissertation, a mixed-methods genre analysis of scam text messages. During this time I also took part in WICAL 2023, a postgraduate conference based at Warwick University where I presented my work to peers and received feedback.

In 2022 completed my BA in English Language at Northumbria University with First Class Honours and completed a forensic-based discourse analysis dissertation. My degree subject was captivating and greatly improved the quality of my written work, and is what gave me an interest in Forensic Linguistics.'

Eden Palmer, they/them.

Eden, in all seriousness, why didn't you tell us?

I've reported them for 'hateful content ' on their event sign up page.

That applies to large swathes of the internet. Can you narrow it down a bit?

Do They not teach critical analysis at universities these days? 😁

Oh good grief. 🤦

Do you think they/them can use their expertise in linguistics to define the word "woman" for us all?

Lie down ladies, we wish to walk all
over you and you’re being inconveniently lumpy.

It's free! Book a ticket! I just have...

Too many sites I'm afraid. I just found it amusing that Eden takes the view they have, without considering the other side of the coin.