KIRBY CONROD
(UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON)
Previous literature on the syntax and semantics of gendered pronouns in English has taken gender features to be a static property of both pronouns (linguistically) and the people they refer to. However, this view does not account for uses of pronouns by and about transgender, nonbinary,and gender-nonconforming speakers of English. The use of pronouns to misgender people is related to attitudes about the people being referred to, and about transgender identities. In communicating linguistic knowledge to the broader public, information on gender in language needs to be reanalyzed in order to reflect newer understandings of gender in society. In this talk, Conrod provides a framework for linguists and others to talk about markers of gender in language in a way that is inclusive of non-normative gendered experiences, including ways of updating curricula for teaching language and linguistics classes to non-linguist students.
This talk is one of four keynote talks during They, Hirself, Em and You: Nonbinary Pronouns in Theory and Practice, a conference held at Queen’s University from June 11-13 with the generous support of many Queen’s funds, units and departments, as well as the Canadian Linguistics Association and the University of Toronto Linguistics Department.