Inclusive language, the power of our words                             

Relational and Social Constructionist Consortium of Ecuador (IRYSE)

Maritza Crespo Balderrama, M.A. and Diego Tapia Figueroa, Ph.D.

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If we want to live in more egalitarian societies that promote peaceful coexistence, a good start is to be aware that our words make others visible.

Relatively recently, in Latin American countries, an interesting topic has emerged: the convenience, or not, of using inclusive language. Voices, from time to time, are raised, some in a mocking tone and others with extreme seriousness, about whether it is correct to end nouns with the letter “e” (todes, advocade, ingeniere), whether it is a fad, a matter of real inclusion, or language aesthetics. The RAE (Royal Spanish Academy) has published its opinion on its Twitter account: “The use of the ‘e’ is unnecessary and alien to the morphology of Spanish.”

The truth is that “inclusive” language is not a new topic and, without a doubt, it has a logic and an underlying structure, which is the same one that defines our way of thinking, acting, behaving, and, of course, expressing ourselves about and towards others.

Where does inclusive language come from?

Inclusive language arises from the need to make diversity visible in the Spanish language. There are other languages, such as English, where nouns do not have a specific gender. That is, we know if we are talking about a man or a woman because there is a word to determine it (actor, actress) or because the context of the sentence implies it (she is an actor). In our beautiful language, this is not necessarily the case. In Ecuador, specifically, the use of todos y todas (all for feminine and masculine) began to become popular, especially from the 90s onwards, when civil society groups dedicated to promoting the participation of children and adolescents and their rights carried out awareness-raising processes and, precisely, made girls visible, in contrast to the language that prioritized boys (a generic noun in Spanish, but masculine). The constant use of the phrase “children and adolescents” in communication positioned, in some way, inclusive language in everyday dialogues.

However, language is more than just words put together. It has to do with the senses, with the way we see the world, with our being. We speak, and with speech, we let others know what we are, how we think, and what makes us up.

Language is a structure and a system. It allows us to build society and the people who inhabit it. It is a powerful tool and vehicle to learn and understand the world. It can bring us together, connect us, unite us, or, conversely, distance us, disconnect us, and alienate us from each other.

When we speak, we don’t just say words

The act of speaking and communicating is also a relational and political act. It links us, but it also determines our position about the world in which we live and the people with whom we share our contexts. If we pay attention to the terms that our coworkers or family use when speaking, how they organize sentences, what kind of words they choose for their communication, and what meaning they give to them, we can realize how they perceive the world, what they think of it and the people they share it with, how they see themselves, and how they see others.

In that sense, Spanish is a language that responds, like all languages, to the culture that uses it and, therefore, it is also a reflection of its worldview and its way of relating.

When Spanish is questioned from a position that supports inclusive language, what is behind it is a fundamental questioning of the linguistic practice of a culture that is, without a doubt, sexist and hetero-patriarchal. A culture that renders invisible and belittles difference, the feminine, that marginalizes and segregates people who are different or who choose to be different.

When social groups, activists, and non-activists of gender diversity promote inclusive language, what they are demanding is the use of an egalitarian language, which represents all the people who speak it, who communicate through it, who use it; which states that there is not only one way of living and seeing the world, but that diversity enriches and mobilizes, transforms, and democratizes societies.

Using inclusive language… what for?

Language builds reality; it helps us understand the world, others, and ourselves. Language determines and constitutes us.

The use of inclusive language allows, in the first instance, to put on the table a problem that is experienced daily but that many times we want to stop seeing: that some people and groups have no voice or vote in our societies. The fact that, even though we are living in the 21st century, there is still marginalization and discrimination due to gender issues, it is still believed that men, the masculine, have a predominance over the feminine or women and, even more: that it is not accepted or recognized that there are people who want to live their gender diversity and that they have the right to do so.

Using inclusive language also allows us to recognize that our culture is changing; that there is more and more awareness of difference and a greater appreciation for diversity. Language is also a system that changes, that is alive, that adapts to new cultural circumstances and to the needs of those who use it.

What is not named does not exist. By using inclusive language, we make visible other identities, diverse people, and those who do not hold power or are being homogenized violently. Using inclusive language implies recognizing that we must stop marginalizing those who are different.

Types of inclusive language

Language is a complex system and, in that sense, two types of inclusive language need to be taken into account:

●         Non-sexist inclusive language, which is used to represent men and women and explicitly includes feminine nouns or terms and does not stop at the generic masculine to talk about men and women: todos y todas, boys and girls, lawyer and lawyer, reader and reader, etc.

●         Non-binary inclusive language includes people who identify outside the binary gender system (man and woman) and includes all possible genders. The use of non-binary inclusive language has gone through stages, such as the inclusion of symbols such as “@” or “x” in written language. However, for spoken language, these “characters,” to name them somehow, make it difficult to pronounce words, so the use of the “e” is more common and easier to apply. The vowel “e” replaces the use of “a” or “o” to designate the gender associated with nouns.

Finally, although the use of language is also an aesthetic issue, it is important to be clear that words are not aseptic or empty of meaning. They are, without a doubt, the vehicle of our thoughts and emotions. Therefore, they are essential for a coexistence that is free of prejudice and discrimination. It is not just about including the “e” or the feminine because we want to be fashionable; it is fundamentally about those of us who speak a language having the responsibility of its use and of being aware that language builds our culture.

At the same time, the use of language does not need to be regulated by political correctness, by “someone” who wants to impose, force, or regulate an obligatory use of the “e.” The freedom to relate and communicate with respect, from respect, also means the practice of openness and flexibility to the right to speak, whether taking into account the suggestion of the RAE: “the use of the ‘e’ is unnecessary and alien to the morphology of Spanish”; like those who feel comfortable “expressing ourselves about and towards others.”

If we want to live in more egalitarian, less discriminatory societies that promote freedom and peaceful coexistence, a good start is to be aware that our words make others visible, construct them, and place them in the world.

*** https://www.maxionline.ec/lenguaje-inclusivo-el-poder-de-nuestras-palabras/

English translation by Bruno Tapia Naranjo.