Gender neutral language in Portuguese: Difference between revisions

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.

|+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>

!Gender neutral language

|Boa noite a todos!

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>

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'''.

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>

|+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>

|+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>

|+''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>

<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>  

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."

|+Pronouns that can be affected by word ending:<ref name="SetTester" /><ref name=":0" />

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.

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.

|+Word endings ''a'' and ''o'' compared to neutral alternatives:<ref name="SetTester" /><ref name=":0" />