Power bottom, gay versatile, top persistant, and other borrowings from English in erotic biographies of gay and bisexual porn stars on French adult websites

Abstract

This paper examines lexical borrowings from English in the erotic biographies of gay and bisexual porn actors available on French websites. The study adopts an anthropological perspective, drawing on David Le Breton’s concept of the ‘liberated’ body and Marie-Anne Paveau’s typology of pornographic discourse. Three main types of borrowings have been identified: full borrowings (e.g., bareback), hybrid borrowings (e.g., hardeur), and semantic calques (e.g., versatile). The analysis reveals that full borrowings are predominant in the corpus, particularly in conceptual and lexical anaphors referring to specific antecedents, namely male porn stars. Moreover, these borrowings serve various functions in constructing the representations and identities of porn actors within the discourse examined, reflecting both their physical attributes, social roles, and sexual preferences. The investigation emphasizes the significance of borrowings as one of the key mechanism for enriching the French language, especially in the context of persuasive discourse, which mirrors the evolution of societies and contemporary cultural and social phenomena. Ultimately, the study may contribute to the understanding of how linguistic borrowings shape the portrayal of marginalized groups in media and influence the broader discourse on sexuality and identity.