The politics of neopronouns: a comparative study of pronoun use amongst nonbinary language users in peninsular Spanish and British English

Barnes, Michael May (2023). The politics of neopronouns: a comparative study of pronoun use amongst nonbinary language users in peninsular Spanish and British English. University of Birmingham. M.A.

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Abstract

Nonbinary language users of Peninsular Spanish and British English, amongst other languages, consistently confront the difficulty of expressing their identities and advocating for their inclusion in two languages that either lack or invalidate ways to refer to genders other than male and female. In response to their politically and linguistically marginalised position, nonbinary language users are making use of a variety of innovative linguistic forms to communicate their identities and advocate for their inclusion in both language and society. This thesis will explore a key element of this linguistic innovation: the use of (neo)pronouns.

In this thesis I ask: how are nonbinary language users of Peninsular Spanish and British English using pronouns for themselves and for other nonbinary people? And, most importantly, how is this use of pronouns impacted by the national-linguistic context – that is to say, the combination of linguistic and sociopolitical factors present in a particular nation state and its national language(s) – of Britain and Spain? I propose that these contexts diverge significantly in their relationships to language, gender, and trans and nonbinary existence and that this impacts the ways that nonbinary people use pronouns to navigate their existences and the sociopolitical contexts that surround them.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.A.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.A.

Supervisor(s):