Ideologies towards Gender-inclusive language in situations of minoritization: the case of Catalan

Abstract

The adherence to measures designed to eliminate the linguistic expression of sexism and to mitigate patterns of patriarchalism can become an index of linguistic vitality in the case of small or minoritized languages (Popic & Gorjanc 2018, Hornsby et al. 2021). Here evidence is drawn from Catalan, a mid-size minoritized language that has developed its gender-neutral variety in all its grammatical complexity, as compiled by a recent (2023) publication of a non-binary language guide by a group of grassroot gender activists. Academic and institutional bodies as well as users themselves have reacted to it loudly. Both officially issued documents and an analysis of attitudes and opinions manifested on the social platform X, reveal familiar language ideologies involving notions of authority, purity, and legitimacy, as well as narratives reminiscent of linguistic determinism, and language politization/weaponization. Insofar as the debate also revolves around the issue of language survival, some fear that vulnerable languages might not be able to endure such divisive debates, while others claim that alienating minority users from trendy debates around the struggle for gender equality contributes to their shifting towards languages that might offer more suitable expressive possibilities.