33.3256, Calls: Sociolinguistics/United Kingdom

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-33-3256. Wed Oct 26 2022. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 33.3256, Calls: Sociolinguistics/United Kingdom

Moderators:

Editor for this issue: Everett Green <everett at linguistlist.org>
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Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2022 01:48:23
From: Riitta Valijarvi [r.valijarvi at ucl.ac.uk]
Subject: Challenging the Binary: Non-binary, genderqueer, and gender-neutral language

 
Full Title: Challenging the Binary: Non-binary, genderqueer, and gender-neutral language 

Date: 14-Jun-2023 - 15-Jun-2023
Location: London and online, United Kingdom 
Contact Person: Riitta Valijarvi
Meeting Email: r.valijarvi at ucl.ac.uk

Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics 

Meeting Description:

Growing recognition and understanding of gender-non-conforming, non-binary,
queer, and other gender identities have led to shifts in language use and
structures. One of the most obvious examples is the increased popularity of
declaring one’s gender using gender-neutral and neo-pronouns in languages that
traditionally lack such forms of expression, e.g. the English they/them/their
and ze/zer/zeir. Expressing non-binary identities in languages with
grammatical gender can be challenging and has led to the emergence of new noun
and adjective forms, such as the gender-neutral Spanish chique/chiques
‘child/children’ from the older binary forms chico/chicos ‘boy/boys’ and
chica/chicas ‘girl/girls’. Similarly, in some languages (e.g. Hebrew, Arabic,
Welsh, and French), even verb forms or prepositions can be gendered, which
means that the introduction of new gender-neutral forms is starting to change
the verbal structures of the languages in question. Likewise, growing numbers
of languages are introducing innovative gender-neutral orthographic symbols;
for example, in Spanish the letter x has come to be used as an inclusive
replacement for masculine and feminine noun and adjective endings in writing.
Conversely, speakers of languages without grammatical gender, such as Finnish,
have seen other linguistic developments in response to gender diversity, such
as the use of English pronouns, gender-neutral names, and new vocabulary to
describe the range of gender identities. Another aspect of these societal
changes is the spread of new practical ways to enable and support the
expression of gender identities in the language classroom (for both teachers
and students). 

The purpose of this two-day conference is to explore non-binary,
gender-inclusive, and gender-non-conforming language cross-linguistically. We
welcome contributions on all languages, but are especially interested in
minority, endangered, and Indigenous languages. 


Call for Papers:

Questions to explore include but are not limited to: 
- Which new terminology has emerged or been developed in the world’s languages
to describe agender, non-binary, gender-non-conforming, and queer people?
- Which new pronouns are used, and how? 
- How do naming practices reflect non-binary identities?
- How do languages with vs without grammatical gender adjust to diverse gender
expressions?
- How can we create a gender-inclusive environment in the language classroom?
- What orthographic solutions can support gender-inclusive language?
- How have names of professions adjusted to non-binary gender identities?
- Have new forms of in-group language developed among non-binary, agender, and
gender-non-confirming people (cf. Polari)? 
- What kind of societal responses (backlash/support/debate, etc.) have there
been to linguistic changes that express gender diversity?
- What is the social and community impact of non-binary and gender-inclusive
language?
- What historical practices are there in non-binary and gender-inclusive
language?
- How do developments of gender-inclusive language relate to broader trends of
gender-equal/anti-sexist language?
- How are non-binary and third-gender identities conceptualised in Indigenous
and non-European languages (e.g. North American two-spirit, Hawaiian and
Tahitian māhū)?

The conference will be held in hybrid format (in person at University College
London and online), 14-15 June 2023. Articles based on selected conference
papers will be subsequently published in a peer-reviewed edited volume. 

Abstracts should be 300 words in length excluding references and should be
submitted via EasyChair by 1 April 2023. Notifications of acceptance by 1 May
2023. For queries please contact the organisers at l.kahn at ucl.ac.uk and
r.valijarvi at ucl.ac.uk. EasyChair link:
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ctb01

Organisers
Lily Kahn, University College London
Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi, University College London and Uppsala University




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LINGUIST List: Vol-33-3256	
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