Gender neutral language: Difference between revisions

m
imported>G-ji
imported>G-ji
Line 203: Line 203:
This traditional gendered nature of verb conjugations in Hindi are problematic as they force people with non-binary identities to misgender themselves.  
This traditional gendered nature of verb conjugations in Hindi are problematic as they force people with non-binary identities to misgender themselves.  


In attempt to address the limitations posed by the gendered nature of verb conjugations in Hindi, and to ensure students are not forced to misgender themselves, in 2016, at the University of Texas at Austin, I shared an avant-garde proposal for a non-binary verb conjugation option that does not currently exist in Hindi. This proposal has largely been well received by colleagues and students alike (with some predictable backlash). We are currently in the process of creating a webpage dedicated to making Hindi pedagogy more inclusive, which will also include details of this proposal.  
In attempt to address the limitations posed by the gendered nature of verb conjugations in Hindi, and to ensure students are not forced to misgender themselves, in 2016, some faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, shared an avant-garde proposal for a non-binary verb conjugation option that does not currently exist in Hindi. This proposal has largely been well received by colleagues and students alike (with some predictable backlash). They are currently in the process of creating a webpage dedicated to making Hindi pedagogy more inclusive, which will also include details of this proposal.  


The proposal in a nutshell:
The proposal in a nutshell: '''The morpheme for non-binary verb conjugations suggested is  ओ ''o'' .'''


'''In the gendered binary option:''' - '''''male voice''''' ''conjugations'' end in '''आ ''ā''''' for masculine singular conjugations and '''ए ''e'''''  for masculine plural conjugations. - '''''female voice''''' conjugations end in '''ई ''ī''''' for both, feminine singular and plural conjugations, with '''ई ''ī'''''  sometimes being nasalized to '''ईं ''ī̃'''''  for plural conjugations. For ''a '''non-binary voice''''' option, we suggest conjugations end in '''ओ ''o''''' for both, non-binary singular and plural conjugations,  with '''ओ ''o''''' sometimes being nasalized to '''ओं ''õ''''' for plural conjugations, along principles similar to conjugations for the ''female voice''.
'''In the gendered binary option:''' - '''''male voice''''' ''conjugations'' end in '''आ ''ā''''' for masculine singular conjugations and '''ए ''e'''''  for masculine plural conjugations. - '''''female voice''''' conjugations end in '''ई ''ī''''' for both, feminine singular and plural conjugations, with '''ई ''ī'''''  sometimes being nasalized to '''ईं ''ī̃'''''  for plural conjugations. For ''a '''non-binary voice''''' option, we suggest conjugations end in '''ओ ''o''''' for both, non-binary singular and plural conjugations,  with '''ओ ''o''''' sometimes being nasalized to '''ओं ''õ''''' for plural conjugations, along principles similar to conjugations for the ''female voice''.
Line 229: Line 229:
    '''NBS-Present:''' मैं खा'''तो''' हूँ    mãĩ khā'''to''' hū̃  (I eat - suggested non-binary voice)   '''NBS-Past:''' मैं खा'''तो''' '''थो'''  mãĩ khāt'''o tho'''  (I used to eat - suggested non-binary voice)
    '''NBS-Present:''' मैं खा'''तो''' हूँ    mãĩ khā'''to''' hū̃  (I eat - suggested non-binary voice)   '''NBS-Past:''' मैं खा'''तो''' '''थो'''  mãĩ khāt'''o tho'''  (I used to eat - suggested non-binary voice)


   '''NBP-Present:''' हम  खा'''तो''' हैं  ham khā'''to''' hãĩ (I eat - suggested non-binary voice) '''NBP-Past:'''  हम  खा'''तो थों'''   ham khā'''to thõ'''  (we used to eat - suggested non-binary voice)
    '''NBP-Present:''' हम  खा'''तो''' हैं  ham khā'''to''' hãĩ (I eat - suggested non-binary voice) '''NBP-Past:'''  हम  खा'''तो थों'''   ham khā'''to thõ'''  (we used to eat - suggested non-binary voice)


'''The grassroots non-binary conjugations suggested above, for now would largely apply only to people according to their gender-identification.'''
The website will contain examples of how all tense conjugations would look if one factors in the suggested non-binary option.


The same principle of using  '''ओ ''o'' / ओं ''õ''''' for a '''''non-binary voice''''', when transferred on to certain classes of nouns and adjectives, may make one pause to ponder over how it may affect other parts of speech, specifically, possession (particularly the possessive particles in Hindi), the plural oblique case, and in some instances, overlap between the imperative/command construction and the one-time completed action past tense. However, going deeper, one realizes that interference is minimal, if at all. Just as some other aspects of Hindi grammar which on the surface seem the same, being clearly context and/or marker dependent become non-issues, this too, being clearly either context and/or marker dependent would not pose a problem. Also, having the '''ओ ''o''/ओं ''õ''''' sound ending to indicate possession is not alien in Hindi as observed in various varieties like Braj Bhāshā, to name one. Besides, for now this point is quite mute, given that currently there is no class of non-binary nouns in Hindi!  
The same principle of using  '''ओ ''o'' / ओं ''õ''''' for a '''''non-binary voice''''', when transferred on to certain classes of nouns and adjectives, may make one pause to ponder over how it may affect other parts of speech, specifically, possession (particularly the possessive particles in Hindi), the plural oblique case, and in some instances, overlap between the imperative/command construction and the one-time completed action past tense. However, going deeper, one realizes that interference is minimal, if at all. Just as some other aspects of Hindi grammar which on the surface seem the same, being clearly context and/or marker dependent become non-issues, this too, being clearly either context and/or marker dependent would not pose a problem. Also, having the '''ओ ''o''/ओं ''õ''''' sound ending to indicate possession is not alien in Hindi as observed in various varieties like Braj Bhāshā, to name one. Besides, for now this point is quite mute, given that currently there is no class of non-binary nouns in Hindi!  
Anonymous user