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The Problem with Binaries: Coding for Gender and Sexuality
Author(s) -
Eckert Penelope
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
language and linguistics compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.619
H-Index - 44
ISSN - 1749-818X
DOI - 10.1111/lnc3.12113
Subject(s) - human sexuality , variation (astronomy) , binary number , coding (social sciences) , psychology , constraint (computer aided design) , class (philosophy) , gender studies , focus (optics) , sociology , social psychology , computer science , mathematics , social science , artificial intelligence , physics , geometry , arithmetic , astrophysics , optics
Gender has emerged as the primary social constraint in variation, but the complexities of correlations with a gender binary make it clear that gender must be examined as it interacts with other social constraints (e.g. class). Recent interest in sexuality as a social variable has emerged similarly to that found in studies of gender, with a problematic focus on a binary based on gender choice of sexual partner. This paper examines the problems with the binary treatment of gender and sexuality in variation studies, and considers the consequences and options for the coding and use of large corpora.