Representações de língua(gem) em um debate sobre linguagem “neutra”

Abstract

Gender-neutral language – also referred to as “neutral language”, “non-binary language”, or “inclusive language” – is situated within the linguistic field and is likewise intertwined with identity and social issues. Its use is more common among non-binary and/or intersex individuals and is widely recognized through the adoption of pronouns such as “elu/delu” and the replacement of the vowels “-a” and “-o” with “-e” in adjectives, as in “bonite” (from “bonita/bonito”) or “maravilhose” (from “maravilhosa/maravilhoso”). However, its uses are not limited to grammatical changes; they also encompass processes of identity construction and political disputes. Considering that, in recent decades, the discussion on gender-neutral language has increasingly gained ground in public debate and become a source of controversy within the educational sphere, understading how this issue is represented and contested in political discourse is essential for the critical analysis of school-based discursive practices. From this perspective, the present study aimed, within the fields of Discourse Analysis and Applied Linguistics, to contribute to discussions on the use of gender-neutral language in school discursive practices. Specifically, it sought to: (i) map the representations of language that emerge in a political debate on the adoption of gender-neutral language in school contexts; (ii) identify the representations of gender constructed and mobilized in this debate; (iii) problematize the discursivization of the dispute over gender-neutral language in school settings. The corpus comprised the video Debate – Nikolas Ferreira x 5 esquerdistas (Pronome Neutro), published on the YouTube channel of the aforementioned politician. The analysis, guided by the theoretical and methodological approach of the French-Brazilian Discourse Analysis (DA), revealed multiple representations of language among the participating parliamentarians, including conceptions of language as a limited, constrained, and patriarchal tool, and, conversely, as a dynamic, identity-related, mutable, fluid, and living phenomenon. With regard to gender representations, both the reaffirmation of the male-female binary and the articulation of possibilities that challenge this dichotomous logic were observed. Concerning the discursivization of the debate over gender-neutral language in school contexts, tensions were identified between conservative discursive formations – framing it as a threat to the norm – and progressive ones – defending it as a practice of resistance and inclusion of dissident subjects.