This study investigates how queer Jewish language develops among LGBTQ Jewish people themselves and the processes by which it is learned and adopted by cis-heterosexual people in shared Jewish spaces, focusing on the influence and perceptions of Seattle as a liberal and queer-accepting city. The authors analyze virtual ethnographic interviews with queer and cis-heterosexual individuals involved in Seattle Jewish life, which discuss participants’ experiences and observations surrounding queer Jewish language, emphasizing experiences in learning and adopting queer linguistic features and attitudes toward the acceptance of queer Jewish language in Seattle. It finds that communal awareness and acceptance of queer language in Jewish spaces is largely driven by the presence of queer individuals, particularly in leadership roles.
Yallah Y’All: The Development and Acceptance of Queer Jewish Language in Seattle
ELLEN PERLEBERG is a master of science in library science student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the coprincipal investigator of the Yallah Y’all queer Jewish sociolinguistics project at the University of Washington. Her research interests include heritage language learners, digital language, and labor discourse. Email: [email protected].
GRACE ELIZABETH C. DY is the coprincipal investigator of Yallah Y’all and is the events and outreach coordinator at the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Washington. They are also a graduate student in counseling psychology, with research interests in culturally responsive mental health, equitable teaching practices, and the intersection of science and religion. Email: [email protected].
LINDSAY HIPPE is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington pursuing a double degree in linguistics and in speech and hearing sciences. Her research interests include Semitic languages and early childhood language acquisition. She hopes to become a research speech-language pathologist with a focus on early support. Email: [email protected].
Ellen Perleberg, Grace Elizabeth C. Dy, Lindsay Hippe; Yallah Y’All: The Development and Acceptance of Queer Jewish Language in Seattle. American Speech 1 February 2023; 98 (1): 67–90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00031283-10579468
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