Re: The gay lisp
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How much of his is directly linked to gay identity? Take someone who grew up in Hicksville and pushed all gayness to the far corners of his being. Then this person goes to college, moves to a big city, etc. and becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and acknowledges it. Is someone like that likely to NOW pick up this speech pattern?
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I'm no expert on the subject, but just based on experience, I'd say they would be inclined to pick up the speech pattern. Friends tend to pick up other friends tendencies. When I was 12, a friend moved down to FL. When he visited the following summer he had a bit of a drawl. Another instance: a few summers ago, I visited friends in Buffalo. They had this dumb habbit where instead of saying, "let's get dinner", they'd say "dinner, or no?" I caught myself saying it in less than 2 days, without ever consciously trying to.
I just think it's pretty natural for people to adapt to their surroundings. They want to fit in, they want to be liked. I wouldn't be surprised if it occured even moreso in someone with deeply repressed feelings.
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