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Article published In: Nonbinary pronouns as a site of advocacy in research and teaching
Edited by Lex Konnelly, Bronwyn M. Bjorkman and Lee Airton
[Journal of Language and Sexuality 11:2] 2022
► pp. 190–216

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A thematic analysis of attitudes towards English nonbinary pronouns

 | University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Published online: 4 August 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jls.21025.hek
Abstract
The article provides a comprehensive overview of attitudes towards nonbinary pronouns, with the aim of better understanding why these pronouns are either accepted or rejected. Attitudes towards nonbinary they and the neopronouns ze and xe are explored with a thematic analysis of data derived from a larger online survey on pronouns (n = 1128). While the results demonstrate various polarized stances for both types of pronouns, the participants’ reactions highlight greater acceptance of and support for nonbinary they. In addition, the paper proposes that broader ideologies about gender are behind the participants’ overt reactions to nonbinary pronouns. Most notably, while some participants rejected the pronouns on the basis of a binary gender ideology, others viewed gender as a matter of self-identification, accepting any pronoun an individual chooses for themselves.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Language attitudes, ideologies and nonbinary pronouns
  • 3.Study design and methods
  • 4.Attitudes towards nonbinary pronouns
    • 4.1Results of the thematic analysis
      • 4.1.1Appeal to authority
      • 4.1.2Appeal to social norms
      • 4.1.3Appeal to sense & logic
    • 4.2Which stances are linked to acceptability?
    • 4.3Observations on gender and native language of participants
  • 5.Pronouns and (non)sexist language
  • 6.Discussion
  • Notes
  • References
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