Gender neutral language in Portuguese: Difference between revisions

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    {{stub}}{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
    {{stub}}{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
    The vast majority of Portuguese words have one of two grammatical genders: the feminine or the masculine. The creation and implementation of gender neutral terms in the Portuguese language aims to make non-binary people feel included.
    The vast majority of Portuguese words have one of two grammatical genders: the feminine or the masculine. As such, Portuguese is not a gender-neutral language. Expressions such as "obrigado" or "obrigada" change based on your gender. Sometimes, words with the masculine form are seen as the default. Adjectives like "alto" and "alta" change based on gender as well. Many people use an 'e' ending, such as "obrigade". The creation and implementation of gender neutral terms in the Portuguese language aims to make non-binary people feel included.
    It is important to note that, in Portuguese, there’s a distinction between '''gender-neutral language''' and '''inclusive language'''. Though the two overlap in some aspects, the latter makes use of already existing binary terms and its main goal is to include both men and women in conversations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politize.com.br/linguagem-inclusiva-e-linguagem-neutra-entenda/|title=Linguagem inclusiva e linguagem neutra: entenda a diferença!|last=Folter|first=Regiane|date=9 March 2021|website=politize!|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Inclusive language and neutral language: understand the difference!|access-date=20 June 2021}}</ref> It comes as a response to the way Portuguese uses the masculine to encompass the feminine. This can be seen, for example, when groups are referred to with the masculine and plural form of a noun even when they’re not made-up exclusively of men.
    It is important to note that, in Portuguese, there’s a distinction between '''gender-neutral language''' and '''inclusive language'''. Though the two overlap in some aspects, the latter makes use of already existing binary terms and its main goal is to include both men and women in conversations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politize.com.br/linguagem-inclusiva-e-linguagem-neutra-entenda/|title=Linguagem inclusiva e linguagem neutra: entenda a diferença!|last=Folter|first=Regiane|date=9 March 2021|website=politize!|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Inclusive language and neutral language: understand the difference!|access-date=20 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704235358/https://www.politize.com.br/linguagem-inclusiva-e-linguagem-neutra-entenda/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> It comes as a response to the way Portuguese uses the masculine to encompass the feminine. This can be seen, for example, when groups are referred to with the masculine and plural form of a noun even when they’re not made-up exclusively of men.


    {| class="wikitable"
    {| class="wikitable"
    |+How the sentence "good night, everyone!" is traditionally said and what each category of language suggests as an alternative:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakingbrazilian.com/post/neutral|title=Gender-Neutral Language in Brazilian Portuguese|last=Langhammer|first=Virginia|date=2021-11-02|website=Speaking Brazilian|language=en|access-date=2022-02-17}}</ref>
    |+How the sentence "good night, everyone!" is traditionally said and what each category of language suggests as an alternative:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakingbrazilian.com/post/neutral|title=Gender-Neutral Language in Brazilian Portuguese|last=Langhammer|first=Virginia|date=2021-11-02|website=Speaking Brazilian|language=en|access-date=2022-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404042634/https://www.speakingbrazilian.com/post/neutral|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
    !Common language
    !Common language
    !Gender-neutral language
    !Gender-neutral language
    !Inclusive language
    !Inclusive language
    |-
    |-
    |Boa noite a todos!
    | rowspan="2" |Boa noite a todos!
    |Boa noite a todes!
    |Boa noite a todes!
    |Boa noite a todos e todas!
    |Boa noite a todos e todas!
    |-
    | colspan="2" |Boa noite a todos, todas e todes!
    |-
    |-
    | colspan="3" |Boa noite a todas as pessoas!
    | colspan="3" |Boa noite a todas as pessoas!
    Line 18: Line 20:
    |}
    |}


    This article will focus on '''gender neutral Portuguese language'''. While, in Portuguese, non-living things are also attributed a gender, that is not meant to change with the use of neutral language. The sentence "my chair is purple" would still be said like "a minha cadeira é roxa," in which ''cadeira'' is still a feminine noun and the article ''a'', the possessive pronoun ''minha'' and the adjective ''roxa'' are also feminine. Moreover, words like ''pessoa'' ("person"), which are gendered but used to refer to anyone regardless of gender, remain the same and gender agreement is still expected in sentences that use them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dezanove.pt/sistema-elu-linguagem-neutra-em-genero-1317469|title=Sistema Elu, Linguagem Neutra em Género|last=Valente|first=Pedro|date=13 April 2020|website=dezanove|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Elu System, Language Neutral in Gender|access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref>
    This article will focus on '''gender neutral Portuguese language'''. While, in Portuguese, non-living things are also attributed a gender, that is not meant to change with the use of neutral language. The sentence "my chair is purple" would still be said like "a minha cadeira é roxa," in which ''cadeira'' is still a feminine noun and the article ''a'', the possessive pronoun ''minha'' and the adjective ''roxa'' are also feminine. Moreover, words like ''pessoa'' ("person"), which are gendered but used to refer to anyone regardless of gender, remain the same and gender agreement is still expected in sentences that use them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dezanove.pt/sistema-elu-linguagem-neutra-em-genero-1317469|title=Sistema Elu, Linguagem Neutra em Género|last=Valente|first=Pedro|date=13 April 2020|website=dezanove|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Elu System, Language Neutral in Gender|access-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520042942/https://dezanove.pt/sistema-elu-linguagem-neutra-em-genero-1317469|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
     
    Gender-neutral neologisms are known as ''neolinguagem'' (neolanguage), though that term also includes modified words that are not universally gender neutral.<ref>{{Cite web |title=» Guia pró-neolinguagem de linguagem neutra universal |url=https://orientando.org/guia-de-linguagem-neutra-universal/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |language=pt-BR|trans-title=Pro-neolanguage guide to universal neutral language}}</ref>


    ==Language sets==
    ==Language sets==
    There are two established ways of representing language sets in the Portuguese language. The first one, ''ela/dela'' follows the same format as the English "she/her," however, it is very incomplete. In Portuguese, word endings indicate gender, so the format ''ela/dela/-a'' was suggested as an alternative. Though this format is more complete than the previous one, it has been criticized. Some of the criticisms are that it doesn't take the particularities of the Portuguese language into account; that the other elements in the language that indicate gender, like articles and demonstrative pronouns, should also be declared and that article and word ending choice are unrelated to pronoun choice. For these reasons, the recommended representation is ''a/ela/a'', which follows the format article/pronoun/word ending.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://amplifi.casa/~/Asterismos/motivos-para-n%C3%A3o-usar-pronome-d-pronome-como-indica%C3%A7%C3%A3o-de-conjuntos-de-linguagem|title=Motivos para não usar "pronome/d[pronome]" como indicação de conjuntos de linguagem|date=20 September 2019|website=Amplifi.casa|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Reasons not to use "pronoun/d[pronoun]" as an indication of language sets|access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref> An even more complete version of this format would be ''a/uma/da/ela/dela/minha/essa/a''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forum.orientando.org/thread-225.html|title=expansão do sistema artigo/pronome/final de palavra?|date=23 May 2018|website=Fórum Orientando|access-date=21 June 2021|language=Portuguese|trans-title=expansion of the article/pronoun/word ending system?}}</ref> Note that, because pronouns aren't the only language elements that indicate gender in Portuguese, some people suggest calling these sets '''language sets''' instead of '''pronoun sets'''.
    There are two established ways of representing language sets in the Portuguese language. The first one, ''ela/dela'' follows the same format as the English "she/her," however, it is very incomplete. In Portuguese, word endings indicate gender, so the format ''ela/dela/-a'' was suggested as an alternative. Though this format is more complete than the previous one, it has been criticized. Some of the criticisms are that it doesn't take the particularities of the Portuguese language into account; that the other elements in the language that indicate gender, like articles and demonstrative pronouns, should also be declared and that article and word ending choice are unrelated to pronoun choice. For these reasons, the recommended representation is ''a/ela/a'', which follows the format article/pronoun/word ending.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://amplifi.casa/~/Asterismos/motivos-para-n%C3%A3o-usar-pronome-d-pronome-como-indica%C3%A7%C3%A3o-de-conjuntos-de-linguagem|title=Motivos para não usar "pronome/d[pronome]" como indicação de conjuntos de linguagem|date=20 September 2019|website=Amplifi.casa|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Reasons not to use "pronoun/d[pronoun]" as an indication of language sets|access-date=21 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307205909/http://amplifi.casa/~/Asterismos/motivos-para-n%C3%A3o-usar-pronome-d-pronome-como-indica%C3%A7%C3%A3o-de-conjuntos-de-linguagem/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> An even more complete version of this format would be ''a/uma/da/ela/dela/minha/essa/a''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forum.orientando.org/thread-225.html|title=expansão do sistema artigo/pronome/final de palavra?|date=23 May 2018|website=Fórum Orientando|access-date=21 June 2021|language=Portuguese|trans-title=expansion of the article/pronoun/word ending system?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526212632/https://forum.orientando.org/thread-225.html|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> Note that, because pronouns aren't the only language elements that indicate gender in Portuguese, some people suggest calling these sets '''language sets''' instead of '''pronoun sets'''.


    ===Articles===
    ===Articles===
    In Portuguese, there are two types of articles: '''definite articles''' - ''a'', ''o'', ''as'', ''os'' (equivalent to the English "the") - and '''indefinite articles''' - ''uma'', ''um'', ''umas'', ''uns'' (equivalent to the English "a" and "an") - all of which are gendered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/determiners-definite-and-indefinite-articles/|title=Definite and Indefinite Articles|website=Practice Portuguese|access-date=24 June 2021}}</ref>
    In Portuguese, there are two types of articles: '''definite articles''' - ''a'', ''o'', ''as'', ''os'' (equivalent to the English "the") - and '''indefinite articles''' - ''uma'', ''um'', ''umas'', ''uns'' (equivalent to the English "a" and "an") - all of which are gendered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/determiners-definite-and-indefinite-articles/|title=Definite and Indefinite Articles|website=Practice Portuguese|access-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905172255/https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/determiners-definite-and-indefinite-articles/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
    {| class="wikitable"
    {| class="wikitable"
    |+The definite articles ''a'' and ''o'' compared to neutral alternatives:<ref name="SetTester">{{Cite web|url=https://orientando.org/conjuntos/avancado/|title=Testador de conjuntos: Modo avançado|website=Orientando|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Set tester: Advanced mode|type=Language set tester, containing a number of neutral language elements|access-date=28 June 2021}}</ref>
    |+The definite articles ''a'' and ''o'' compared to neutral alternatives:<ref name="SetTester">{{Cite web|url=https://orientando.org/conjuntos/avancado/|title=Testador de conjuntos: Modo avançado|website=Orientando|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Set tester: Advanced mode|type=Language set tester, containing a number of neutral language elements|access-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615143929/https://orientando.org/conjuntos/avancado/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
    !a/o
    !a/o
    !ae
    !ae
    Line 34: Line 38:
    !u
    !u
    !ê
    !ê
    !le
    |-
    |-
    |a/o estudante
    |a/o estudante
    Line 42: Line 47:
    |u estudante
    |u estudante
    |ê estudante
    |ê estudante
    |le estudante
    |}
    |}
    There are many other alternatives, though '''''ê''''' is, by far, the most used one. As for indefinite articles, these depend on the word ending that was chosen.
    There are many other alternatives, though '''''ê''''' is, by far, the most used one. As for indefinite articles, these depend on the word ending that was chosen.
    {| class="wikitable"
    {| class="wikitable"
    |+Articles affected by word ending:<ref name="SetTester" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/2015/05/15/o-muro-e-a-fenda-primeiro-apontamento-sobre-o-metodo-zapatista-supgaleano/|title=O Muro e a Fenda Primeiro Apontamento sobre o Método Zapatista. SupGaleano|date=2015-05-16|website=Enlace Zapatista|language=es|trans-title=The Wall and the Rift First Note on the Zapatista Method|access-date=2022-02-21}}</ref>
    |+Articles affected by word ending:<ref name="SetTester" />
    !Word ending
    !Word ending
    !a
    !a
    Line 64: Line 70:


    ===Pronouns===
    ===Pronouns===
    In Portuguese, there are two standard personal pronouns for the third person singular and two for the third person plural. ''Ela'' is equivalent to the English "she" and ''ele'' is equivalent to the English "he," while ''elas'' and ''eles'' are both equivalent to the English plural "they." Portuguese-speaking non-binary people who don't feel comfortable with these have had to come up with neopronouns.
    In Portuguese, there are two standard personal pronouns for the third person singular and two for the third person plural. ''Ela'' is equivalent to the English "she" and ''ele'' is equivalent to the English "he," while ''elas'' and ''eles'' are both equivalent to the English plural "they." Portuguese-speaking non-binary people who don't feel comfortable with these have had to come up with neopronouns, along with its contractions.


    {| class="wikitable"
    {| class="wikitable"
    |+''Ela'' and ''ele'' compared to some Portuguese neopronouns:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://identidades.wikia.org/pt-br/wiki/Linguagem_n%C3%A3o-bin%C3%A1ria_ou_neutra|title=Linguagem não-binária ou neutra|last=Lobo|first=Cari|last2=Gaigaia|first2=V.|website=wikia|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Non-binary or neutral language|others=Revised by Kumiho Lim|access-date=20 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronome_neutro_de_terceira_pessoa#Portugu%C3%AAs|title=Pronome neutro de terceira pessoa|website=Wikipedia|access-date=21 June 2021|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Neutral third person pronoun}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orientando.org/listas/tipos-de-linguagem/|title=Elementos de conjuntos de linguagem|website=orientando|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Elements of sets of language|access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_neutrality_in_Portuguese|title=Gender neutrality in Portuguese|website=Wikipedia|access-date=2022-02-20}}</ref>
    |+''Ela'' and ''ele'' compared to some Portuguese neopronouns:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://identidades.wikia.org/pt-br/wiki/Linguagem_n%C3%A3o-bin%C3%A1ria_ou_neutra|title=Linguagem não-binária ou neutra|last=Lobo|first=Cari|last2=Gaigaia|first2=V.|website=wikia|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Non-binary or neutral language|others=Revised by Kumiho Lim|access-date=20 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025071357/http://identidades.wikia.org/pt-br/wiki/Linguagem_n%C3%A3o-bin%C3%A1ria_ou_neutra|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronome_neutro_de_terceira_pessoa#Portugu%C3%AAs|title=Pronome neutro de terceira pessoa|website=Wikipedia|access-date=21 June 2021|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Neutral third person pronoun|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605221819/https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronome_neutro_de_terceira_pessoa|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orientando.org/listas/tipos-de-linguagem/|title=Elementos de conjuntos de linguagem|website=orientando|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Elements of sets of language|access-date=21 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606023545/https://orientando.org/listas/tipos-de-linguagem/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_neutrality_in_Portuguese|title=Gender neutrality in Portuguese|website=Wikipedia|access-date=2022-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306013844/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_neutrality_in_Portuguese|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
    !ela/e(s)
    !ela/e(s)
    !ael(s)
    !ael(s)
    Line 173: Line 179:
    |}
    |}


    <nowiki>*</nowiki>The use of these sets has been increasingly discouraged for the following reasons: they aren't convenient for people who use screen readers; they can be hard to read for people with dyslexia and they aren't orally pronounceable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orgulhogay.pt/neutralidade-de-genero-na-lingua-portuguesa/|title=NEUTRALIDADE DE GÉNERO NA LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA|date=17 October 2019|website=ORGULHO GAY|language=Portuguese|trans-title=GENDER NEUTRALITY IN THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE|access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref>  
    <nowiki>*</nowiki>The use of these sets has been increasingly discouraged for the following reasons: they aren't convenient for people who use screen readers; they can be hard to read for people with dyslexia and they aren't orally pronounceable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orgulhogay.pt/neutralidade-de-genero-na-lingua-portuguesa/|title=NEUTRALIDADE DE GÉNERO NA LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA|date=17 October 2019|website=ORGULHO GAY|language=Portuguese|trans-title=GENDER NEUTRALITY IN THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE|access-date=21 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331091237/https://orgulhogay.pt/neutralidade-de-genero-na-lingua-portuguesa/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>  


    The most well known and most used Portuguese neopronoun is '''''elu'''''. Its use is encouraged, mainly because it fits in with the pronouns ''ela'' ("she") and ''ele'' ("he") and it is easily pronounceable. Some people pronounce it as "élu," while others pronounce it as "êlu."
    The most well known and most used Portuguese neopronoun is '''''elu'''''. Its use is encouraged, mainly because it fits in with the pronouns ''ela'' ("she") and ''ele'' ("he") and it is easily pronounceable. Some people pronounce it as "élu", while others pronounce it as "êlu". A third option is saying "elú".


    Some pronouns can depend on the word ending chosen by the user. While each pronoun, typically, has a word ending tied to it, using concordant language is not mandatory. Someone may use the word ending ''eo'' while using the pronoun ''ile'', for example.
    Some pronouns can depend on the word ending chosen by the user. While each pronoun, typically, has a word ending tied to it, using concordant language is not mandatory. Someone may use the word ending ''eo'' while using the pronoun ''ile'', for example.
    {| class="wikitable"
    {| class="wikitable"
    |+Pronouns that can be affected by word ending:<ref name="SetTester" /><ref name=":0" />
    |+Pronouns that can be affected by word ending:<ref name="SetTester" />
    !Word ending
    !Word ending
    !a
    !a
    !ae
    !ae
    !e
    !e
    !eo
    ! colspan="2" |eo<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/neolinguagem|title=Archived profile for neolinguagem on Instagram|website=Ghostarchive}}</ref>
    !o
    ! colspan="3" |o
    !u
    ! colspan="2" |u
    !oa
    !oa
    |-
    |-
    Line 193: Line 199:
    |estae(s)
    |estae(s)
    |este(s)
    |este(s)
    |esteo(s)
    | colspan="2" |esteo(s)
    |esto(s)
    | colspan="3" |esto(s)
    |estu(s)
    | colspan="2" |estu(s)
    |estoa(s)
    |estoa(s)
    |-
    |-
    Line 202: Line 208:
    |essae(s)
    |essae(s)
    |esse(s)
    |esse(s)
    |esseo(s)
    | colspan="2" |esseo(s)
    |esso(s)
    | colspan="3" |esso(s)
    |essu(s)
    | colspan="2" |essu(s)
    |essoa(s)
    |essoa(s)
    |-
    |-
    Line 212: Line 218:
    |minhe(s)
    |minhe(s)
    |minheo(s)
    |minheo(s)
    | colspan="2" |meo(s)
    |minho(s)
    |minho(s)
    | colspan="2" |meu(s)
    |minhu(s)
    |minhu(s)
    |minhoa(s)
    |minhoa(s)
    Line 221: Line 229:
    |tue(s)
    |tue(s)
    |tueo(s)
    |tueo(s)
    | colspan="2" |teo(s)
    |tuo(s)
    |tuo(s)
    | colspan="2" |teu(s)
    |tu(s)
    |tu(s)
    |tuoa(s)
    |tuoa(s)
    Line 230: Line 240:
    |sue(s)
    |sue(s)
    |sueo(s)
    |sueo(s)
    | colspan="2" |seo(s)
    |suo(s)
    |suo(s)
    | colspan="2" |seu(s)
    |su(s)
    |su(s)
    |suoa(s)
    |suoa(s)
    |}
    |}
    The pronouns ''esta'' and ''essa'' can follow one of two paths when being converted to neutral forms. '''''Est/ess'' + word ending''' or '''letters of personal pronoun before consonant + ''st/ss'' + letters of personal pronoun after consonant'''. The latter only works if the personal pronoun has a consonant in the middle, so it'd work for ''ilu'' and ''ile'' (''issu/istu'' and ''isse/iste'') but not for ael (''aess/aest''), for example.
    The pronouns ''esta'' and ''essa'' can follow one of two paths when being converted to neutral forms. '''''Est/ess'' + word ending''' or '''letters of personal pronoun before consonant + ''st/ss'' + letters of personal pronoun after consonant'''. The latter only works if the personal pronoun has a consonant in the middle, so it'd work for ''ilu'' and ''ile'' (''issu/istu'' and ''isse/iste'') but not for ael (''aess/aest''), for example.<ref>https://diversidades.fandom.com/pt-br/wiki/Neopronome</ref>


    ===Word endings===
    ===Word endings===
    In the Portuguese language, the ending of a word typically indicates gender. For this reason, the vast majority of words have two forms: the masculine and the feminine. Feminine words end in ''a'', while masculine words end in ''o''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/the-gender-of-portuguese-words/|title=The Gender of Portuguese Words|website=Practice Portuguese|access-date=7 July 2021}}</ref> The word "friend," a noun, can translate to ''amiga'' or ''amigo''. The same rule applies to adjectives, however, so "tall" can translate to either ''alta'' or ''alto''. Moreover, adjectives and nouns are expected to agree in gender. Some non-binary people use more than one word ending and may not mind that non-concordant language is used when referring to them, like in the sentence ''ae meu amiga é bonito''. New word endings were created to accomodate people who don't feel comfortable with either of the standard word endings.
    In the Portuguese language, the ending of a word typically indicates gender. For this reason, the vast majority of words have two forms: the masculine and the feminine. Feminine words end in ''a'', while masculine words end in ''o''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/the-gender-of-portuguese-words/|title=The Gender of Portuguese Words|website=Practice Portuguese|access-date=7 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719185109/https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/the-gender-of-portuguese-words/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> The word "friend," a noun, can translate to ''amiga'' or ''amigo''. The same rule applies to adjectives, however, so "tall" can translate to either ''alta'' or ''alto''. Moreover, adjectives and nouns are expected to agree in gender. Some non-binary people use more than one word ending and may not mind that non-concordant language is used when referring to them, like in the sentence ''ae'' "''meu amiga é bonito''". New word endings were created to accommodate people who don't feel comfortable with either of the standard word endings.
    {| class="wikitable"
    {| class="wikitable"
    |+Word endings ''a'' and ''o'' compared to neutral alternatives:<ref name="SetTester" /><ref name=":0" />
    |+Word endings ''a'' and ''o'' compared to neutral alternatives:<ref name="SetTester" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pt.pronouns.page/dicionario|title=Dicionário de linguagem neutra|website=Pronouns.page|language=pt|trans-title=Neutral language dictionary|access-date=2022-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530212655/https://pt.pronouns.page/dicionario|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguagem_n%C3%A3o_sexista|title=Linguagem não sexista|website=Wikipédia|language=pt|trans-title=Non-sexist language|access-date=2022-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605221452/https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguagem_n%C3%A3o_sexista|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
    !a/o
    !a/o
    !ae
    !ae
    Line 257: Line 269:
    |meniny
    |meniny
    |meninoa
    |meninoa
    |-
    |parceira/o
    |parceirae
    |parceire
    |parceireo
    |parceirie
    |parceiru
    |parceiry
    |parceiroa
    |-
    |companheira/o
    |companheirae
    |companheire
    |companheireo
    |companheirie
    |companheiru
    |companheiry
    |companheiroa
    |-
    |adulta/o
    |adultae
    |adulte
    |adulteo
    |adultie
    |adultu
    |adulty
    |adultoa
    |-
    |aluna/o
    |alunae
    |alune
    |aluneo
    |alunie
    |alunu
    |aluny
    |alunoa
    |-
    |ambígua/o
    |ambíguae
    |ambígue
    |ambígueo
    |ambíguie
    |ambígu
    |ambíguy
    |ambíguoa
    |-
    |amiga/o
    |amigae
    |amigue
    |amigueo
    |amiguie
    |amigu
    |amiguy
    |amigoa
    |-
    |feia/o
    |feiae
    |feie
    |feieo
    |feie
    |feiu
    |feiy
    |feioa
    |-
    |dona/o
    |donae
    |done
    |doneo
    |donie
    |donu
    |dony
    |donoa
    |-
    |convidada/o
    |convidadae
    |convidade
    |convidadeo
    |convidadie
    |convidadu
    |convidady
    |convidadoa
    |-
    |brasileira/o
    |brasileirae
    |brasileire
    |brasileireo
    |brasileirie
    |brasileiru
    |brasileiry
    |brasileiroa
    |-
    |garota/o
    |garotae
    |garote
    |garoteo
    |garotie
    |garotu
    |garoty
    |garotoa
    |-
    |estrangeira/o
    |estrangeirae
    |estrangeire
    |estrangeireo
    |estrangeirie
    |estrangeiru
    |estrangeiry
    |estrangeiroa
    |-
    |moça/o
    |moçae
    |moce
    |moceo
    |mocie
    |moçu
    |mocy
    |moçoa
    |-
    |menina/o
    |meninae
    |menine
    |menineo
    |meninie
    |meninu
    |meniny
    |meninoa
    |-
    |solteira/o
    |solteirae
    |solteire
    |solteireo
    |solteirie
    |solteiru
    |solteiry
    |solteiroa
    |-
    |prima/o
    |primae
    |prime
    |primeo
    |primie
    |primu
    |primy
    |primoa
    |-
    |namorada/o
    |namoradae
    |namorade
    |namoradeo
    |namoradie
    |namoradu
    |namorady
    |namoradoa
    |-
    |política/o
    |políticae
    |polítique
    |polítiqueo
    |polítiquie
    |políticu
    |polítiquy
    |políticoa
    |-
    |psicóloga/o
    |psicólogae
    |psicólogue
    |psicólogueo
    |psicóloguie
    |psicólogu
    |psicóloguy
    |psicólogoa
    |-
    |veterana/o
    |veteranae
    |veterane
    |veteraneo
    |veteranie
    |veteranu
    |veterany
    |veteranoa
    |-
    |zagueira/o
    |zagueirae
    |zagueire
    |zagueireo
    |zagueirie
    |zagueiru
    |zagueiry
    |zagueiroa
    |-
    |usuária/o
    |usuáriae
    |usuárie
    |usuárieo
    |usuárie
    |usuáriu
    |usuáriy
    |usuárioa
    |-
    |noiva/o
    |noivae
    |noive
    |noiveo
    |noivie
    |noivu
    |noiviy
    |noivoa
    |-
    |obrigada/o
    |obrigadae
    |obrigade
    |obrigadeo
    |obrigadie
    |obrigadu
    |obrigady
    |obrigadoa
    |-
    |secretária/o
    |secretáriae
    |secretárie
    |secretárieo
    |secretárie
    |secretáriu
    |secretáriy
    |secretárioa
    |}
    Some words, such as heteronyms, are also inflected in the beginning, examples and proposals below.<ref>https://bloguealternative.wordpress.com/lista-de-neologismos/</ref><ref>https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/7546402/mod_resource/content/1/Comunica%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20para%20todas%2C%20todos%20e%20todes_UnB.pdf</ref><ref>https://repository.ufrpe.br/bitstream/123456789/3756/1/tcc_art_enildavaleriagomesmarinho.pdf</ref>
    {| class="wikitable"
    |-
    |madrinha/padrinho
    |nadrinhe
    |xadrinhe
    |adrinhe
    |fadrinhe
    |badrinhe
    |zadrinhe
    |-
    |madre/padre
    |nadre
    |xadre
    |adre
    |fadre
    |badre
    |zadre
    |-
    |madrasta/padrasto
    |nadraste
    |xadraste
    |adraste
    |fadraste
    |badraste
    |zadraste
    |-
    |matriarca/patriarca
    |natriarca
    |xatriarca
    |atriarca
    |fadriarca
    |batriarca
    |zatriarca
    |-
    |maternidade/paternidade
    |naternidade
    |xaternidade
    |aternidade
    |faternidade
    |baternidade
    |zaternidade
    |-
    |mãe/pai
    |nãe/nam
    |pãe
    | colspan="3" |ade
    |zazi
    |}
    |}


    Latest revision as of 23:58, 13 November 2024

    Text lines white icon.svg This article is a stub. You can help the Nonbinary wiki by expanding it!
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    Gender neutral language

    The vast majority of Portuguese words have one of two grammatical genders: the feminine or the masculine. As such, Portuguese is not a gender-neutral language. Expressions such as "obrigado" or "obrigada" change based on your gender. Sometimes, words with the masculine form are seen as the default. Adjectives like "alto" and "alta" change based on gender as well. Many people use an 'e' ending, such as "obrigade". The creation and implementation of gender neutral terms in the Portuguese language aims to make non-binary people feel included. It is important to note that, in Portuguese, there’s a distinction between gender-neutral language and inclusive language. Though the two overlap in some aspects, the latter makes use of already existing binary terms and its main goal is to include both men and women in conversations.[1] It comes as a response to the way Portuguese uses the masculine to encompass the feminine. This can be seen, for example, when groups are referred to with the masculine and plural form of a noun even when they’re not made-up exclusively of men.

    How the sentence "good night, everyone!" is traditionally said and what each category of language suggests as an alternative:[2]
    Common language Gender-neutral language Inclusive language
    Boa noite a todos! Boa noite a todes! Boa noite a todos e todas!
    Boa noite a todos, todas e todes!
    Boa noite a todas as pessoas!
    Boa noite a todo mundo!

    This article will focus on gender neutral Portuguese language. While, in Portuguese, non-living things are also attributed a gender, that is not meant to change with the use of neutral language. The sentence "my chair is purple" would still be said like "a minha cadeira é roxa," in which cadeira is still a feminine noun and the article a, the possessive pronoun minha and the adjective roxa are also feminine. Moreover, words like pessoa ("person"), which are gendered but used to refer to anyone regardless of gender, remain the same and gender agreement is still expected in sentences that use them.[3]

    Gender-neutral neologisms are known as neolinguagem (neolanguage), though that term also includes modified words that are not universally gender neutral.[4]

    Language sets[edit | edit source]

    There are two established ways of representing language sets in the Portuguese language. The first one, ela/dela follows the same format as the English "she/her," however, it is very incomplete. In Portuguese, word endings indicate gender, so the format ela/dela/-a was suggested as an alternative. Though this format is more complete than the previous one, it has been criticized. Some of the criticisms are that it doesn't take the particularities of the Portuguese language into account; that the other elements in the language that indicate gender, like articles and demonstrative pronouns, should also be declared and that article and word ending choice are unrelated to pronoun choice. For these reasons, the recommended representation is a/ela/a, which follows the format article/pronoun/word ending.[5] An even more complete version of this format would be a/uma/da/ela/dela/minha/essa/a.[6] Note that, because pronouns aren't the only language elements that indicate gender in Portuguese, some people suggest calling these sets language sets instead of pronoun sets.

    Articles[edit | edit source]

    In Portuguese, there are two types of articles: definite articles - a, o, as, os (equivalent to the English "the") - and indefinite articles - uma, um, umas, uns (equivalent to the English "a" and "an") - all of which are gendered.[7]

    The definite articles a and o compared to neutral alternatives:[8]
    a/o ae el fi i u ê le
    a/o estudante ae estudante el estudante fi estudante i estudante u estudante ê estudante le estudante

    There are many other alternatives, though ê is, by far, the most used one. As for indefinite articles, these depend on the word ending that was chosen.

    Articles affected by word ending:[8]
    Word ending a ae e eo o oa
    um + word ending uma(s) umae(s) ume(s) umeo(s) umo(s) umoa(s)

    Pronouns[edit | edit source]

    In Portuguese, there are two standard personal pronouns for the third person singular and two for the third person plural. Ela is equivalent to the English "she" and ele is equivalent to the English "he," while elas and eles are both equivalent to the English plural "they." Portuguese-speaking non-binary people who don't feel comfortable with these have had to come up with neopronouns, along with its contractions.

    Ela and ele compared to some Portuguese neopronouns:[9][10][11][12]
    ela/e(s) ael(s) el(s) el@(s)* elu(s) elx(s)* ile(s) ilu(s) êla(s) ilo(s) ila(s) elo(s)
    dela/e(s) dael(s) del(s) del@(s) delu(s) delx(s) dile(s) dilu(s) dêla(s) dilo(s) dila(s) delo(s)
    nela/e(s) nael(s) nel(s) nel@(s) nelu(s) nelx(s) nile(s) nilu(s) nêla(s) nilo(s) nila(s) nelo(s)
    aquela/e(s) aquael(s) aquel(s) aquel@(s) aquelu(s) aquelx(s) aquile(s) aquilu(s) aquêla(s) aquilo(s) aquila(s) aquelo(s)
    daquela/e(s) daquael(s) daquel(s) daquel@(s) daquelu(s) daquelx(s) daquile(s) daquilu(s) daquêla(s) daquilo(s) daquila(s) daquelo(s)
    naquela/e(s) naquael(s) naquel(s) naquel@(s) naquelu(s) naquelx(s) naquile(s) naquilu(s) naquêla(s) naquilo(s) naquila(s) naquelo(s)
    àquela/e(s) àquael(s) àquel(s) àquel@(s) àquelu(s) àquelx(s) àquile(s) àquilu(s) àquêla(s) àquilo(s) àquila(s) àquelo(s)
    praquela/e(s) praquael(s) praquel(s) praquel@(s) praquelu(s) praquelx(s) praquile(s) praquilus(s) praquêla(s) praquilos(s) praquilas(s) praquelo(s)

    *The use of these sets has been increasingly discouraged for the following reasons: they aren't convenient for people who use screen readers; they can be hard to read for people with dyslexia and they aren't orally pronounceable.[13]

    The most well known and most used Portuguese neopronoun is elu. Its use is encouraged, mainly because it fits in with the pronouns ela ("she") and ele ("he") and it is easily pronounceable. Some people pronounce it as "élu", while others pronounce it as "êlu". A third option is saying "elú".

    Some pronouns can depend on the word ending chosen by the user. While each pronoun, typically, has a word ending tied to it, using concordant language is not mandatory. Someone may use the word ending eo while using the pronoun ile, for example.

    Pronouns that can be affected by word ending:[8]
    Word ending a ae e eo[14] o u oa
    est + word ending esta(s) estae(s) este(s) esteo(s) esto(s) estu(s) estoa(s)
    ess + word ending essa(s) essae(s) esse(s) esseo(s) esso(s) essu(s) essoa(s)
    mi or minh + word ending minha(s) minhae(s) minhe(s) minheo(s) meo(s) minho(s) meu(s) minhu(s) minhoa(s)
    tu + word ending tua(s) tuae(s) tue(s) tueo(s) teo(s) tuo(s) teu(s) tu(s) tuoa(s)
    su or su + word ending sua(s) suae(s) sue(s) sueo(s) seo(s) suo(s) seu(s) su(s) suoa(s)

    The pronouns esta and essa can follow one of two paths when being converted to neutral forms. Est/ess + word ending or letters of personal pronoun before consonant + st/ss + letters of personal pronoun after consonant. The latter only works if the personal pronoun has a consonant in the middle, so it'd work for ilu and ile (issu/istu and isse/iste) but not for ael (aess/aest), for example.[15]

    Word endings[edit | edit source]

    In the Portuguese language, the ending of a word typically indicates gender. For this reason, the vast majority of words have two forms: the masculine and the feminine. Feminine words end in a, while masculine words end in o.[16] The word "friend," a noun, can translate to amiga or amigo. The same rule applies to adjectives, however, so "tall" can translate to either alta or alto. Moreover, adjectives and nouns are expected to agree in gender. Some non-binary people use more than one word ending and may not mind that non-concordant language is used when referring to them, like in the sentence ae "meu amiga é bonito". New word endings were created to accommodate people who don't feel comfortable with either of the standard word endings.

    Word endings a and o compared to neutral alternatives:[8][17][18]
    a/o ae e eo ie u y oa
    menina/o meninae menine menineo meninie meninu meniny meninoa
    parceira/o parceirae parceire parceireo parceirie parceiru parceiry parceiroa
    companheira/o companheirae companheire companheireo companheirie companheiru companheiry companheiroa
    adulta/o adultae adulte adulteo adultie adultu adulty adultoa
    aluna/o alunae alune aluneo alunie alunu aluny alunoa
    ambígua/o ambíguae ambígue ambígueo ambíguie ambígu ambíguy ambíguoa
    amiga/o amigae amigue amigueo amiguie amigu amiguy amigoa
    feia/o feiae feie feieo feie feiu feiy feioa
    dona/o donae done doneo donie donu dony donoa
    convidada/o convidadae convidade convidadeo convidadie convidadu convidady convidadoa
    brasileira/o brasileirae brasileire brasileireo brasileirie brasileiru brasileiry brasileiroa
    garota/o garotae garote garoteo garotie garotu garoty garotoa
    estrangeira/o estrangeirae estrangeire estrangeireo estrangeirie estrangeiru estrangeiry estrangeiroa
    moça/o moçae moce moceo mocie moçu mocy moçoa
    menina/o meninae menine menineo meninie meninu meniny meninoa
    solteira/o solteirae solteire solteireo solteirie solteiru solteiry solteiroa
    prima/o primae prime primeo primie primu primy primoa
    namorada/o namoradae namorade namoradeo namoradie namoradu namorady namoradoa
    política/o políticae polítique polítiqueo polítiquie políticu polítiquy políticoa
    psicóloga/o psicólogae psicólogue psicólogueo psicóloguie psicólogu psicóloguy psicólogoa
    veterana/o veteranae veterane veteraneo veteranie veteranu veterany veteranoa
    zagueira/o zagueirae zagueire zagueireo zagueirie zagueiru zagueiry zagueiroa
    usuária/o usuáriae usuárie usuárieo usuárie usuáriu usuáriy usuárioa
    noiva/o noivae noive noiveo noivie noivu noiviy noivoa
    obrigada/o obrigadae obrigade obrigadeo obrigadie obrigadu obrigady obrigadoa
    secretária/o secretáriae secretárie secretárieo secretárie secretáriu secretáriy secretárioa

    Some words, such as heteronyms, are also inflected in the beginning, examples and proposals below.[19][20][21]

    madrinha/padrinho nadrinhe xadrinhe adrinhe fadrinhe badrinhe zadrinhe
    madre/padre nadre xadre adre fadre badre zadre
    madrasta/padrasto nadraste xadraste adraste fadraste badraste zadraste
    matriarca/patriarca natriarca xatriarca atriarca fadriarca batriarca zatriarca
    maternidade/paternidade naternidade xaternidade aternidade faternidade baternidade zaternidade
    mãe/pai nãe/nam pãe ade zazi

    See also[edit | edit source]

    References[edit | edit source]

    1. ↑ Folter, Regiane (9 March 2021). "Linguagem inclusiva e linguagem neutra: entenda a diferença!" [Inclusive language and neutral language: understand the difference!]. politize! (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
    2. ↑ Langhammer, Virginia (2021-11-02). "Gender-Neutral Language in Brazilian Portuguese". Speaking Brazilian. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
    3. ↑ Valente, Pedro (13 April 2020). "Sistema Elu, Linguagem Neutra em Género" [Elu System, Language Neutral in Gender]. dezanove (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
    4. ↑ "» Guia pró-neolinguagem de linguagem neutra universal" [Pro-neolanguage guide to universal neutral language] (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-06-23.
    5. ↑ "Motivos para não usar "pronome/d[pronome]" como indicação de conjuntos de linguagem" [Reasons not to use "pronoun/d[pronoun]" as an indication of language sets]. Amplifi.casa (in Portuguese). 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
    6. ↑ "expansão do sistema artigo/pronome/final de palavra?" [expansion of the article/pronoun/word ending system?]. Fórum Orientando (in Portuguese). 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
    7. ↑ "Definite and Indefinite Articles". Practice Portuguese. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Testador de conjuntos: Modo avançado" [Set tester: Advanced mode]. Orientando (Language set tester, containing a number of neutral language elements) (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
    9. ↑ Lobo, Cari; Gaigaia, V. "Linguagem não-binária ou neutra" [Non-binary or neutral language]. wikia (in Portuguese). Revised by Kumiho Lim. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
    10. ↑ "Pronome neutro de terceira pessoa" [Neutral third person pronoun]. Wikipedia (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
    11. ↑ "Elementos de conjuntos de linguagem" [Elements of sets of language]. orientando (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
    12. ↑ "Gender neutrality in Portuguese". Wikipedia. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
    13. ↑ "NEUTRALIDADE DE GÉNERO NA LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA" [GENDER NEUTRALITY IN THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE]. ORGULHO GAY (in Portuguese). 17 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
    14. ↑ "Archived profile for neolinguagem on Instagram". Ghostarchive.
    15. ↑ https://diversidades.fandom.com/pt-br/wiki/Neopronome
    16. ↑ "The Gender of Portuguese Words". Practice Portuguese. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
    17. ↑ "Dicionário de linguagem neutra" [Neutral language dictionary]. Pronouns.page (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
    18. ↑ "Linguagem não sexista" [Non-sexist language]. Wikipédia (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
    19. ↑ https://bloguealternative.wordpress.com/lista-de-neologismos/
    20. ↑ https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/7546402/mod_resource/content/1/Comunica%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20para%20todas%2C%20todos%20e%20todes_UnB.pdf
    21. ↑ https://repository.ufrpe.br/bitstream/123456789/3756/1/tcc_art_enildavaleriagomesmarinho.pdf

    External links[edit | edit source]

    Retrieved from "https://nonbinary.wiki/index.php?title=Gender_neutral_language_in_Portuguese&oldid=42242"