Well, pitter patter let's get at'er.
By Kelton Jay Hevelone
Course: Language, Gender, and Sexuality (Ling 2400)
Advisor: Prof. Kira Hall; TA Velda Khoo
LURA 2019
Anyone who has seen the TV show Letterkenny can attest to the uniqueness of the Canadian hick identity. The identity spans a relatively small section of Canada, namely the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and parts of Ontario, but it has a huge impact on foreigner’s perspectives and stereotypes of Canadians. The aspects that are most readily attributed to Canadians often stem from people in rural areas who have linguistic features which deviate from standard Canadian English. What most people do not realize though is the role this identity plays for certain people in the portrayal of the self to others, and in particular, in establishing one’s gender within the greater societal context.
I was taken aback when my friend, Katelyn, from Saskatchewan – one of the people I later interviewed for the research paper– told me that many young men use traits associated with rural Canadians to establish a unique identity for themselves, i.e. the hick identity. The identity gives these men a sense of group-belonging, as they can associate with a societal archetype and subculture. Identifying with this particular brand of Canadian hick also carries with it associations to masculinity and cultural narratives on what it means to be a man in Canadian society. When these men choose to adopt the traits associated with the identity, they not only index themselves as hick, but they can utilize commonly held ideologies to establish their masculinity.
The paper I wrote for the course Language, Gender, and Sexuality, called "Gender Differentiation through Exclusivity in Canadian Hick Masculinity", explores the specific linguistic traits associated with being a hick and how men utilize these features to construct a masculine image of themselves. I analyze aspects of accent, a pervasive use of cursing, and address terms to demonstrate the linguistic creation of the identity. Although these are all associated with the hick subculture, the link is established in tandem with a combination of other non-linguistic features. Such features include everything from plaid shirts, camouflage, and worn-out baseball caps with a curled-in bill, to trucks, drinking beer (especially pilsner or pils'), and traditional or conservative views on the world and politics. The variables listed above are all associated with Canadian hicks, but the variables that an individual chooses are highly personal and will therefore vary from person to person. It is the combination, however, of some assortment of non-linguistic and linguistic variables that defines the community and which ultimately develop cultural narratives that link the identity with masculine expression.
One of the linguistic features with which many people are familiar is the ubiquitous use of “bud†or “buddy†in addressing people. These terms can carry a wide range of linguistic meaning outside of purely address, such as by showing solidarity, endearment, or condescension. But aside from their conversational usage, those aspiring to construct their identity around hick masculinity can utilize this linguistic feature in portraying themselves as masculine to others. In doing so, they simultaneously exclude women from using the same features lest they be associated with the same cultural narratives on masculinity. When speaking with Katelyn about the topic, she expressed that she would only ever be able to use these address terms in a satirical sense, implying that a serious use of the terms would be out of place for her and other women. It’s exactly this gender exclusion that creates the potential for their use as markers of masculine expression.
The other two linguistic features, namely cursing and accent, follow the same logic. In adopting their usage, Canadian men can denote themselves as hick and demonstrate their claim to masculinity therethrough. The link between these linguistic features and the hick masculinity is an interesting study into the gender exclusivity of certain identities and communities of people. It may appear foreign to those not immersed into Canadian culture, but at least for those who live in Canada and especially in the provinces listed above, it’s a Texas-sized 10-4.
Kelton Jay Hevelone
Kelton studies International Affairs and Linguistics with minors in German and Italian. He hopes to work in foreign policy after graduate school and perhaps somewhere abroad. He enjoys watching films in foreign languages, making a wide variety of beverages from coffee and tea to kombucha, and going backpacking in the great Colorado outdoors.