by Sarah Tolland
Definition
Markedness can be used to observe and study the power dynamics of different cultures and languages. It refers to the binary ranking of essentialized social identities where society favors one identity while disadvantaging the other.
Description
When observing markedness, identities are viewed in one of two ways: Marked or Unmarked. Where we see unmarked identities, we have the dominant identities that are seen as what is normal or default. The marked identities are labeled groups who are seen and treated as less than those of the unmarked category.
Markedness stems from the differences between people. As society observes these differences, language is used to label and describe them, essentializing groups by race, gender, sexuality and more. We mark these identities in our speech, habitus, and our thoughts. These actions may be both explicit and implicit, allowing markedness to evolve through practice both consciously and subconsciously. When marking these identities, we mark the language ideologies of them as well, stereotyping these essentialized groups by their appearances, actions and linguistic habits.
Markedness is a phenomenon that develops alongside power relations, hegemony, and agency. Through the constant yearning for power in our society, we see that hegemony supports the existence of markedness and that the two may influence power relations and agency through their ability to influence the flow of power and respect given to individuals in a society.
Application:
While markedness is relevant to many topics, ideas and stereotypes in society, markedness related to race, gender, and sexuality has come to the forefront of many conversations recently. A journal post by Anyana Garg in Yes Magazine states that, “in 2018, 26 trans people were killed, most of them people of color. And at least 20 trans or gender nonconforming women of color have been murdered in the United States as of November 2019 alone.” Because of the horrible treatment of black transgender people, the rush to fight for equality has exposed many views and opinions on the markedness of this group that in the words of Renee Jarreau, “sit[s] at the intersection of anti blackness and transmisogyny.”
Studying markedness gives us the ability to understand why people are discriminated against for straying from the gender stereotypes that are seen as normal.
While learning language as a child, we also learn gender. In their book Language and Gender, Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Genet identify the idea that gender is learned in which we unconsciously adopt behaviors and ideals that are socialized into society. Our society teaches gender binary pronouns, sexism, misogyny and so many more horrible practices that all have a main goal of disadvantaging a group of people. While there are many movements to change these these societal stereotypes, (such as the movement towards gender equality, the gay rights movement and the transgender rights movement), while things may be getting better, there is definitely not equality for any of these groups of people.
As I stated previously, people practice these habits of marking people through their use of language. A big part of being inclusive to the those who identify as transgender and gender nonconforming or non-binary is making an effort to use the correct pronouns. Many universities and institutions have taken steps towards limiting the amount of mis-gendering that happens within their walls. As people who don’t use the pronouns “she” and “he” have adopted the pronoun “they”, it has become marked through its affiliation with a marked group. In deliberately trying to be hurtful and disrespectful to those who wish to be referred to as “they,” people have used more dehumanizing terms such as “it”; a term commonly used by children when bullying in schools.
While being transgender is a marked identity, the hardships that a trans person has to go through are amplified when they identify with other marked identities.
African American Vernacular English is one of many English dialects that is marked for not using the Standard American English grammar structure. While AAVE has its own grammar and semantics, many black people are seen as dumb or incompetent for not using “proper grammar.” While there are many other characteristics of black people that have been marked, (natural hair seen as unprofessional and unkempt, being “rowdy” or loud, etc.), the community as a whole has been marked as a result of ongoing racism.
When someone who identifies as a black person also identifies as transgender, the markedness that oppresses each of these identities falls hardest on them. Black transgender women are discriminated against to the point of death. While the number of individual deaths may sound low, the “Unerased: Counting Transgender Lives” project calculates that the rate at which young black transgender people are being killed is over 7 times that of the rest of Americans. “If in 2015 all Americans had the same risk of murder as young black trans women there would have been 120,087 murders instead of 15,696 murders.”
The sad reality is that innocent people are being killed for being true to themselves. A truth so personal that doesn’t hurt anyone is the reason for their deaths.
Markedness allows us to study discrimination against essentialized identities, especially discriminatory language. We can understand how society disadvantages identities that are not seen as the default and hopefully find a way to change the stigma that people have about being different. We should embrace and support our differences because being happy and being yourself is more important than anything else.