Gender neutral language: Difference between revisions

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==Spanish==
==Spanish==
 
This section has it's own article [[Gender neutral language in Spanish]].
''See also: [[Glossary of Spanish gender and sex terminology]].''
 
Spanish has two grammatical genders, masculine and feminine. Like other Romance languages, it's very difficult to talk about a person in a gender-neutral way. This is because every adjective, noun, and article are all either masculine or feminine. It's difficult or even impossible to be completely gender-neutral in standard Spanish. However, feminists, LGBT people, and other activists today have made ideas for how to speak Spanish in a gender-neutral way when necessary. For example, it's now common for people to write "Latinx" or "Latin@" as a gender-inclusive version of "Latino" and "Latina". For more information, see [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_neutrality_in_Spanish_and_Portuguese Wikipedia's article: Gender neutrality in Spanish and Portuguese].
 
===Letter substitution===
 
In Spanish, many nouns and adjectives end in either a masculine -o or a feminine -a. These same letters are also used in the grammatical gender of the definite articles. For example, ''niño bueno'' ("good boy") and ''niña buena'' ("good girl"); ''los amigos'' ("the friends," if the group has at least one man, or isn't known to be all women, although this can be used in a gender-neutral sense) and ''las amigas'' ("the friends," but only if the group is all women). Many people who want gender-neutral options for Spanish have had ideas for substituting these letters with something else that would make a word gender-neutral. These non-standard proposed alternatives are:
 
* '''@'''. In this use, the "at" symbol is meant to look like a mix of a masculine o and a feminine a letters.<ref>Sikian. ''Reddit''. Forum comment. 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/genderqueer/comments/2ymn25/gender_in_language_to_all_you_nonbinary_redditors/cpdjdhi</ref><ref>Sophia Gubb. "Construyendo Un Género Neutro En Español – Para Una Lengua Feminista, Igualitaria E Inclusiva." February 10, 2013. ''Sophia Gubb's Blog.'' Personal blog entry.  http://www.sophiagubb.com/construyendo-un-genero-neutro-en-espanol-para-una-lengua-feminista-igualitaria-e-inclusiva/</ref><ref>http://www.spanishforsocialchange.com/2015/05/living-as-non-binary-or-gender-neutral.html</ref> For example: ''niñ@ buen@'' ("good child"), ''l@s amig@s'' ("the friends" with no assumptions about their genders), ''Latin@'' ("Latino/Latina"). It can be pronounced as "ao".<ref>http://genderfork.com/2013/question-gender-neutral-honorifics-in-spanish/</ref> It's one of the most commonly used in this list. It would go with the proposed neutral pronoun [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|ell@]].<ref>rabbitglitter, "Multilingual pronouns list." ''Nonbinary Resource'' (blog). [http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list]</ref>
* '''æ'''. The "AE" character stands for an alternative to the O and A. For example: ''niñæ buenæ'', ''læs amigæs'', ''Latinæ''. It can go with the proposed neutral pronoun [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|ellæ]].<ref>rabbitglitter, "Multilingual pronouns list." ''Nonbinary Resource'' (blog). [http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list]</ref>
* '''Ⓐ'''. The anarchy symbol happens to look like a mix of an O and A, and some radical political writings use it in their place, in the sense of rebellion against gender roles and other oppressive aspects of society.<ref>Phoenix Tawnyflower. "Nonbinary Spanish." May 24, 2014. ''Reflections of a Queer Artist'' (personal blog). http://phoenixtawnyflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/nonbinary-spanish.html</ref> For example: ''niñⒶ buenⒶ'', ''lⒶs amigⒶs'', ''LatinⒶ''. Like the more common @, this would also be pronounced "ao".
* '''e'''. The letter E represents an alternative to the O and A.<ref>http://www.spanishforsocialchange.com/2015/05/living-as-non-binary-or-gender-neutral.html</ref> For example: ''niñe buene'', ''les amigues'', ''Latine''. Many nouns and adjectives already end in -e, so it can sound natural to create new -e versions. A few words would need spelling changes to keep the pronunciation the same: if the E comes after a C, the C becomes "qu" (''chico – chique''); after G, it becomes "gu" (''gallego – gallegue'').<ref>Sophia Gubb. "Construyendo Un Género Neutro En Español – Para Una Lengua Feminista, Igualitaria E Inclusiva." February 10, 2013. ''Sophia Gubb's Blog.'' Personal blog entry.  http://www.sophiagubb.com/construyendo-un-genero-neutro-en-espanol-para-una-lengua-feminista-igualitaria-e-inclusiva/</ref> The neutral E would go with with the proposed neutral pronouns [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|elle]] or [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|ele]].<ref>rabbitglitter, "Multilingual pronouns list." ''Nonbinary Resource'' (blog). [http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list]</ref><ref>Phoenix Tawnyflower. "Nonbinary Spanish." May 24, 2014. ''Reflections of a Queer Artist'' (personal blog). http://phoenixtawnyflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/nonbinary-spanish.html</ref>
* '''i'''. The letter I is a substitute for O and A. For example: ''niñi bueni'', ''lis amigi'', ''Latini''. This would go with the proposed neutral pronoun [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|elli]].<ref>rabbitglitter, "Multilingual pronouns list." ''Nonbinary Resource'' (blog). [http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list]</ref>
* '''u'''. The letter U is a substitute for O and A.<ref>http://genderfork.com/2013/question-gender-neutral-honorifics-in-spanish/</ref> For example: ''niñu buenu'', ''lus amigus'', ''Latinu''. This would go with the proposed neutral pronoun [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|ellu]].<ref>rabbitglitter, "Multilingual pronouns list." ''Nonbinary Resource'' (blog). [http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list]</ref>
* '''x'''. The letter X represents the absence of either O or A.<ref>Sikian. ''Reddit''. Forum comment. 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/genderqueer/comments/2ymn25/gender_in_language_to_all_you_nonbinary_redditors/cpdjdhi</ref><ref>http://genderfork.com/2013/question-gender-neutral-honorifics-in-spanish/</ref><ref>http://www.spanishforsocialchange.com/2015/05/living-as-non-binary-or-gender-neutral.html</ref> It's one of the most commonly used in this list, and is intuitive in writing, but can't be pronounced. For example: ''niñx buenx'', ''lxs amigxs'', ''Latinx''. This would go with the proposed neutral pronoun [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|ellx]]. Note that, unlike English coinages such as "princex," which is only for people of color, a neutral x in Spanish is not only for people of color. "Ellx" can be used by white people as well.<ref>rabbitglitter, "Multilingual pronouns list." ''Nonbinary Resource'' (blog). [http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list http://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/102614223062/multilingual-pronouns-list]</ref>
 
===Articles===
 
Standard Spanish articles have binary gender as well as number. The indefinite articles are ''un'', ''unos'', ''una'', ''unas''. The definite articles are ''el'', ''los'', ''la'', ''las''. People have come up with some gender-neutral alternatives to these.
 
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%; text-align: center;"
! Standard Spanish
! singular indefinite articles: un, una
! plural definite articles: unos, unas
! singular definite articles: el, la
! plural definite articles: los, las
|-
| @ letter substitution
| ?
| ?
| l@
| l@s
|-
| e letter substitution
| une<ref>Sophia Gubb. "Construyendo Un Género Neutro En Español – Para Una Lengua Feminista, Igualitaria E Inclusiva." February 10, 2013. ''Sophia Gubb's Blog.'' Personal blog entry.  http://www.sophiagubb.com/construyendo-un-genero-neutro-en-espanol-para-una-lengua-feminista-igualitaria-e-inclusiva/</ref>
| unes<ref>Sophia Gubb. "Construyendo Un Género Neutro En Español – Para Una Lengua Feminista, Igualitaria E Inclusiva." February 10, 2013. ''Sophia Gubb's Blog.'' Personal blog entry.  http://www.sophiagubb.com/construyendo-un-genero-neutro-en-espanol-para-una-lengua-feminista-igualitaria-e-inclusiva/</ref>
| le. This creates a homonym for the masculine indirect object pronoun, ''le''.<ref>Sophia Gubb. "Construyendo Un Género Neutro En Español – Para Una Lengua Feminista, Igualitaria E Inclusiva." February 10, 2013. ''Sophia Gubb's Blog.'' Personal blog entry.  http://www.sophiagubb.com/construyendo-un-genero-neutro-en-espanol-para-una-lengua-feminista-igualitaria-e-inclusiva/</ref><ref>Phoenix Tawnyflower. "Nonbinary Spanish." May 24, 2014. ''Reflections of a Queer Artist'' (personal blog). http://phoenixtawnyflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/nonbinary-spanish.html</ref>
| les. Also a homonym for the plural masculine indirect object pronoun, ''les''.<ref>Sophia Gubb. "Construyendo Un Género Neutro En Español – Para Una Lengua Feminista, Igualitaria E Inclusiva." February 10, 2013. ''Sophia Gubb's Blog.'' Personal blog entry.  http://www.sophiagubb.com/construyendo-un-genero-neutro-en-espanol-para-una-lengua-feminista-igualitaria-e-inclusiva/</ref><ref>Phoenix Tawnyflower. "Nonbinary Spanish." May 24, 2014. ''Reflections of a Queer Artist'' (personal blog). http://phoenixtawnyflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/nonbinary-spanish.html</ref>
|-
| i letter substitution
| uni?
| unis?
| li
| lis
|-
| x letter substitution
| ?
| ?
| lx?
| lxs
|-
| miscellaneous other alternatives
|
|
| ol<ref>Phoenix Tawnyflower. "Nonbinary Spanish." May 24, 2014. ''Reflections of a Queer Artist'' (personal blog). http://phoenixtawnyflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/nonbinary-spanish.html</ref>
| oles<ref>Phoenix Tawnyflower. "Nonbinary Spanish." May 24, 2014. ''Reflections of a Queer Artist'' (personal blog). http://phoenixtawnyflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/nonbinary-spanish.html</ref>
|}
 
===Personal pronouns===
 
''See main article: [[Pronouns#Spanish neutral pronouns|Spanish neutral pronouns]].''
 
===Non-binary articles and pronouns===
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! -le or ele and les, elles
| While "le" and "les" are already used as indirect object pronouns, in these cases they cover all genders. The use of "le" as a direct object pronoun or "ele" as a pronoun match the -e ending. "Ele" could turn into "elles" just as "él" becomes "ellos" and "ella" becomes "ellas".
|-
! -ol and oles (articles, objects), ól and olles (pronouns)
| Agender indicators.
|-
|}
 
===Nouns===
 
In Spanish, every noun is either female or male. None have a truly "neuter" grammatical gender. There are some kinds of nouns that come close to being gender-neutral in some ways: epicene nouns, common gender nouns, ambiguous gender nouns, and newly-made neutral or genderqueer nouns.
 
====Epicene nouns====
 
Some words, regardless of their own grammatical gender, are used for men and women alike, without changing the word's ending. Its article stays the same, too. (However, when these nouns are used for women, it's now acceptable in standard Spanish to optionally change to the feminine article.) These words are epicene (''epiceno''). This is the closest that standard Spanish gets to gender neutral language.
 
Some signs that a word is epicene:
* Some words that end in -o or -a are epicene, you can't tell by looking at them. Also, be warned that some nouns ending in -a are only for men, such as ''cura'', "priest".
* Words with the epicene ''-ista'' ending, which is used for occupations and people who do things. This is with the exception of ''modisto'', "male fashion designer".
 
A list of some epicene nouns in conventional Spanish:
* ''ciclista'' = cyclist
* ''el cliente'' = client, but a female client can be ''la clienta''.
* ''el dentista'' = dentist of any gender, but a female dentist can be ''la dentista''.
* ''el especialista'' = specialist
* ''el estudiante'' = student of any gender, but a female student can be ''la estudiante''.
* ''el esposo'' = spouse. This is masculine and can mean husband, but it can also mean a spouse of any gender.
* ''la jefe'' = chef of any gender, but a female chef is ''la jefa''.
* ''el padre'' = parent. This is masculine and can mean father, but it can also mean a parent of any gender. "''Tengo dos padres''" can mean "I have two parents" or "I have two fathers."
* ''la persona'' = person
* ''el personaje'' = personage
* ''turista'' = tourist
* ''la víctima'' = victim.
 
====Common gender nouns====
 
There are also words with a "common gender" (''común''), meaning that the word itself stays the same whether it's applied to a man or woman, but its article changes gender to match the binary gender of the person to whom it is applied.
 
Some signs a noun is common gender:
* Many end in -e, in standard Spanish.
* Some end in -o or -a, so they look masculine or feminine.
 
A list of some common gender nouns in conventional Spanish:
* ''el/la atacante'' = attacker
* ''el/la espía'' = spy
* ''el/la estudiante'' = student
* ''el/la mártir'' = martyr
* ''el/la presidente'' = president
* ''el/la testigo'' = witness
* ''el/la violinista'' = violinist
 
====Ambiguous gender nouns====
 
Some words in Spanish aren't consistent in what grammatical gender they have. They've been used as feminine or masculine words depending on the place and time period. They may have one conventional version, plus an alternative gender that is used poetically or in archaic language. These words are rare. There are only about a hundred of them. They still mean the same thing even when their gender changes. (Unlike, say, ''la cometa'' "kite" and ''el cometa'' "comet.") They're called ambiguous nouns (''nombres ambíguos en cuanto al género'').
 
====New nouns====
 
People have created new, non-standard nouns. Some are gender-inclusive (can be used for men, women, and nonbinary people). Some are only for people who identify as nonbinary or genderqueer.
 
One non-standard method for forming gender-inclusive and nonbinary nouns is by letter substitution, which is described above. This creates words such as:
* ''abuel@'' or ''abuele'' = grandfather/grandmother/grandparent
* ''espos@, espose'' = husband/wife/spouse
* ''herman@, hermane'' = brother/sister/sibling
* ''niñ@, niñe'' = boy/girl/child
* ''novi@, novie'' = boyfriend/girlfriend/datemate
 
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==Swedish==
==Swedish==