Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8277-3320

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics

Committee Chair

Adrienne R. Washington

Committee Member

Sergio Robles-Puente

Committee Member

William J. Morgan

Committee Member

Nancy A. Caronia

Abstract

Italian is a gendered language in which reference to grammatical gender has been constant and inevitable. As language reflects and shapes society, grammatical gender reinforces binary views of social gender and the invizibilization of non-binary identities. Movements for social justice have inspired gender-fair linguistic innovations, such as the feminization of job titles and gender-neutral markers, to promote gender equity and challenge hierarchies of power and dominance in society. This research aimed to explore gender-neutral forms in the Italian grammatical system and public perceptions of these innovations through two studies with two groups of participants.

The first group of participants (n=27) identified as trans or non-binary. They provided information in the form of a survey about the pronouns and gender markers they utilize, together with information about the contexts in which gender-neutral forms are implemented and encountered. Quantitative results showed that while pronoun selection in Italian still relies heavily on binary categories, gender-neutral markers are used by the transgender, non-binary Italian community, with a preference for the asterisk and the schwa. Online communities were indicated as the main environment in which linguistic innovations are encountered, while usage was described as limited to people inside and outside of the LGBTQ+ community who would understand and accept innovative forms. Qualitative data collected from this first group of participants shed light on the limitations of the binary grammatical system of gendered languages and highlighted the marginalization and invisibilization that result from the lack of forms of language expression for non-cisgender identities.

A second group of participants (n=102), who were overwhelmingly cisgender, completed a survey where they were asked to rate the comprehensibility and agreeableness of fifteen statements including the asterisk, the schwa and standard gendered forms for control. Quantitative results indicate that both innovations are largely comprehensible in written form, with a slight preference for the schwa over the asterisk, while the innovations are low in terms of agreeableness ratings. These data suggest that the reason behind resistance to linguistic innovations is rooted in prescriptivist and conservative views of language more than intelligibility. Qualitative data provided by the second group of participants indicated that reasons behind acceptance for these forms are social in nature. Linguistic innovations were framed as necessary to promote a more inclusive and gender-fair society. On the other hand, participants who showed resistance to them claimed that gender-neutral forms are unnecessary, overly complicated, hard to understand, and difficult to pronounce.

These findings help to elucidate linguistic strategies for gender neutrality in Italian, clarifying their usage and capturing the experiences of non-cis Italian language users with gendered language and language reform. This research also advances our understanding of reasons behind resistance or acceptance of these forms by cis persons. In this way, they fill a knowledge gap in the literature on gender-neutral forms in Italian and enrich the scholarship on gender inclusivity and neutralization strategies in gendered languages. Moreover, they provide a foundation for further research on their implementation in spoken language and their potential application in world language classrooms to foster a gender-just education.

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