Sulis, G orcid.org/0000-0002-5463-7133 and Gheno, V (2022) The Debate on Language and Gender in Italy, from the Visibility of Women to Inclusive Language (1980s–2020s). The Italianist, 42 (1). pp. 153-183. ISSN 0261-4340
Abstract
This conversation focuses on issues of language and gender and on the debates they have generated in Italy over the past forty years: from linguistic sexism to the role and visibility of women, and then to the representation of non-binary identities. After introducing the differences in expressing gender in Italian and in other European languages, it discusses the proposals made regarding these matters since the 1980s, the reactions to them, and their long-term legacy, mainly in relation to the use of female agentives. The interactions between experts and ‘näive linguists’ are presented as a case study of the popularisation of the debate, and the key role of the digital sphere is also highlighted. Finally, recent suggestions to move beyond the overextended masculine to address mixed-gender groups and non-binary people are analysed (from the asterisk to the schwa), in parallel with similar attempts made in other languages.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Universities of Cambridge, Leeds and Reading 2022. This is an author produced version of an article published in The Italianist. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Italian language; gender studies; feminine agentives; inclusivity; non-binary language; schwa |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > Italian (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Sep 2022 14:47 |
Last Modified: | 13 Jan 2024 01:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/02614340.2022.2125707 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:190680 |