The Elon linguist's article explores debates about linguistic appropriation, race and identity within transgender communities in the U.S South.
Assistant Professor of English, Archie Crowley’s article, “‘And it just becomes queer slang’: Race, linguistic innovation, and appropriation within trans communities in the US South”, explores debates about how language circulates within marginalized communities.
The article was announced by Anthropology News as the top-read article in the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology in 2025, signaling its resonance with scholars across disciplines as well as its broader relevance to ongoing conversations about race, gender, and language in the United States.
Drawing on interviews with trans and nonbinary individuals in South Carolina, Crowley examines how interview participants describe language innovation coming from Black trans communities and white trans communities. During these discussions, the new words coming from Black trans communities were described as “slang” (e.g., sis, queen), while the words coming from white trans communities were described as “new terminology” (e.g., demigender, nonbinary, or other gender-referent labels). These distinctions reflect broader ideas about language and race, where “Black communities are recognized for their linguistic cultural influence, while whiteness remains a prevalent, structuring power in debates about trans language.”