Latino, Latina, Latin@, Latine, and Latinx: Gender Inclusive Oral Expression in Spanish
Abstract
Gender identity is a rapidly changing concept and so is the language that we use to talk about ourselves or others that may identify outside of the traditional binary system. Spanish typically functions as a masculine generic-dominated language, but there are attempts to make the language more inclusive. One of those attempts appeared in the early 2000s: -x. This marker is unpronounceable as a syllable nucleus. Via an online survey and virtual interviews, this project discovers how Spanish speakers from various countries incorporate gender inclusive language (IL) in writing and speech. Which speakers incorporate IL? Additionally, why do they use IL? The statistically significant variables are gender identity and birth country. Growing faster in popularity than the -x is the morpheme -e, already existent in the Spanish phonological and lexical systems. The interviews reveal that speakers who desire to use IL do not do so infallibly and their motivations are varied.