Language: an important signifier of masculinity in a bilingual context

Abstract

This paper is based upon a case study in an all boys’ church comprehensive secondary school in Malta which explored teachers’ awareness of boys’ attitudes and interests. It uncovered a number of practices across the school’s official and ‘hidden’ curricula and at its administrative level, which, together with the student peer culture present on site, influence the construction of student masculine identities. This article argues that the decision by boys to speak one language rather than another in a bilingual context, is very much influenced by norms of masculinity. These are strengthened by the student peer group as well as by the male teachers within the institution and suggests that language is an important signifier of masculinity in a bilingual school, a masculinity which, in a post‐colonial context, is shown to be heavily linked to national pride and identity.

Notes

1. In order to preserve anonymity, all the names of places and people have been changed.

2. By ‘Form’ in this study, I mean year group.

3. JP is John Portelli, the researcher.

4. A popular meeting place with youngsters in a Saturday night.

5. This word is commonly used in Malta to refer to Anglophobic lackeys and is commonly used to mean ‘stuck up’.