Browsing by Subject "Gender studies"

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    Gender inclusive language in French: linguistic, literary, and pedagogical explorations
    (2024-12) Mais Hagen, Chloe
    This dissertation explores linguistic, literary, and pedagogical iterations, applications, and implications of gender inclusive language in French to show that these language forms are fundamental for creating and maintaining linguistic spaces where marginalized gender identities can exist, be recognized and affirmed, and gain increasing linguistic and social inclusion. Chapter 1 investigates binary gender inclusive language in French, often known as écriture inclusive or langage inclusif, language forms which aim to promote linguistic equality between male and female genders and concludes that while adopting these conventions is a necessary step toward gender inclusion in French, they fail to include people with gender identities outside of the strict gender binary of male and female. To address this need, Chapter 2, archives and analyzes how French has developed to meet the needs of its nonbinary users by innovating nonbinary pronouns, developing new forms of grammatical gender agreement, reviving linguistic forms of the past, and using these in context. Chapter 3 responds to the pedagogical implications of the first two chapters by developing an approach to teaching gender inclusive language in French language classes informed by critical pedagogies, specifically in the context of secondary and post-secondary education in the United States. This dissertation is supported by two appendices, one which contains detailed tables documenting all forms of gender inclusive language forms encountered over the course of this dissertation research and one composed of a unit plan for teaching a graphic novel. By exploring, archiving, and analyzing gender inclusive language across time and varied mediums of expression, and by developing an approach for teaching gender inclusive language, this dissertation advocates for gender inclusive language, demonstrates its positive impacts, and shares research, references, and resources on its numerous