Gender-neutral language in situations of minoritization: Some examples from Catalan and Breton
Presenter(s)
Michael Hornsby
Affiliation
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
Topic
Intellectual and cultural roles of indigenous and minority languages
Type
Papers
Abstract
For some individuals (notably, feminists, transgender, and gender-nonconforming groups), gender-neutral language offers a valuable opportunity to express and perform their gender identities beyond the rigid boundaries of traditionally binary and (heterocis)normative linguistic structures (Butler 2011, Zimman 2018). Moreover, the adherence to this widespread innovation has also been interpreted as an index of linguistic vitality in the case of small or minoritized languages (Popic and Gorjanc 2018, Hornsby 2019). The creation of gender-neutral terms can also be seen as part of a process which questions the traditional wisdom that modernization is at odds with language maintenance and that authenticity, rather than inclusion, is a key to linguistic vitality (Cashman 2024).
In this paper, we discuss and exemplify varieties of gender-neutral language in Catalan, through an examination of a recent (2023) publication of a grammatical guide of non-binary language by a group of gender activists in Catalonia. We further examine similar attempts at gender fair-language by a number of groups in Brittany which aim to provide Breton speakers with a systematic reference tool for representing non-heteronormativity in the language. We present data which focus on attitudes and opinions related to these innovations as seen on various social media and which demonstrate a mixed response to their reception. Despite both situations being portrayed as a linguistic debate by many, we show that a number of responses reflected attitudes that did not refer to language per se, but more to those who use it, showing not only a politicization of the issue, but also a perceived outlet for supporting discriminatory practices.
