Identity construction and language ideology on Grindr in Hong Kong : a sociopragmatic perspective

Abstract

At the intersection of language, identity and sexuality, against the backdrop of increasingly fraught political landscape in Hong Kong laden with historical and cultural complexities, this thesis examines identity construction from a sociopragmatic perspective and provides synergistic discourse analyses recruiting both online screen data and ethnographic interview data. Using sociopragmatics as a general framework, the current study investigates the relationship of language use, context and identity on Grindr among Hong Kong gay men. Governmental language policy institutionalized the sort of language ideology that results in bestowing a certain prestige and social cachet to English. With ubiquitous application of smart phones and hence the mediatization of our interactions via emerging technological affordances, communicating online has not only gained an indispensable foothold in our daily lives, but also a dynamic field that is subject to change and evolve. Much of modern socialization is now reliant on mobile applications that bring people together and facilitate communication – in the case of this study, a location-aware function that revolutionized queer interaction, and by extention, dating. Multiple discursive strategies are employed though the examination of speech act. Identity goes through indexicalization under language ideologies and cultural mores, which in turns construct an ethnolinguistic Hong Konger identity. Given there is a paucity of sociolinguistics (and pragmatics) literature engaging with Hong Kong LGBTQ community since the advent of location-aware social applications, this thesis positions itself to offer an exploratory case study, simultaneously calls for more nuanced identity studies and pragmatic analyses, and joins with fellow sociolinguistic scholars to critically explore emerging LGBTQ issues.