ABSTRACT
Jananas use language to index identity. This chapter argues that for jananas, language variation means walking the line between being a man and being a janana. It explores the most salient aspect of language use by jananas: their switching of gender marking in Hindi. Hindi has grammatical gender distinctions, and jananas switch between masculine and feminine gender markings. The chapter brings out the motivations behind these switches and suggests that switches in gender marking are informed by jananas’ positions within their community, their relationships outside the community, and their addressee. For jananas, masculine and feminine personae are dangerous and mutually threatening. Fully embracing one is discarding the other and that comes with risks—embracing masculinity comes with the risk of eschewing authenticity in janana circles, and embracing femininity risks status and personal safety in family and work contexts. Varying language use in any context must be discussed within the larger social context—what does language variation mean for speakers?
