Linguistic Features of Male Characters in Disney Animated Movies

Abstract

The present study investigates the linguistic features of male characters in three Disney animated movies: Tangled (2010), Frozen (2013) and Moana (2016). It adopts Coates’ (2016) framework (developed from Holmes 2013 and Herbert 1998) of men’s language (e.g. commands and directives, swearing and taboo words, interruption, questions and compliments) and Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (text, discourse practice and sociocultural practice). The findings reveal that the linguistic feature that mostly characterizes male Disney characters’ language is asking questions followed by giving orders and directives since asking questions that seek short answers and giving orders directly and indirectly indicate dominating the conversation. The third male linguistic feature is impersonal compliments followed by taboo and swearing words. Finally, interruption was the least used linguistic male feature. In all reported instances, the male characters interrupted the female characters because they felt superior.

Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis, Disney, Gender, Males’ Language.

Highlights:

• Focus on Male Linguistic Features in Disney Films
  The study uniquely investigates the linguistic behavior of male characters in three Disney animated movies from the 2010s (Tangled, Frozen, and Moana), addressing a research gap previously centered on female characters.
• Dual Theoretical Framework
  It employs Coates’ model of men’s language (commands, taboo words, questions, compliments, interruptions) alongside Fairclough’s three-dimensional CDA framework (text, discourse practice, sociocultural practice) for a robust, layered analysis.
• Dominance through Questions and Directives
  Quantitative analysis (332 instances) shows that male characters most frequently used questions (39.5%) and commands/directives (33.1%), suggesting a pattern of conversational dominance and control.
• Minimized Taboo and Interruption Use
  Swearing/taboo words (6.9%) and interruptions (4.5%) were least common, likely due to the child-oriented nature of Disney films — though still used to assert power or express conflict in specific scenes.
• Cultural and Gender Insights
  The qualitative findings reveal that male characters often use third-person impersonal compliments and direct, response-restricting questions, reflecting traditional masculine roles and cultural norms of authority, restraint, and emotional detachment.