The Debate on Language and Gender in Italy, from the Visibility of Women to Inclusive Language (1980s–2020s)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This conversation focuses on issues of language and gender and on the debates they have generated in Italy over the past forty years: from linguistic sexism to the role and visibility of women, and then to the representation of non-binary identities. After introducing the differences in expressing gender in Italian and in other European languages, it discusses the proposals made regarding these matters since the 1980s, the reactions to them, and their long-term legacy, mainly in relation to the use of female agentives. The interactions between experts and ‘näive linguists’ are presented as a case study of the popularisation of the debate, and the key role of the digital sphere is also highlighted. Finally, recent suggestions to move beyond the overextended masculine to address mixed-gender groups and non-binary people are analysed (from the asterisk to the schwa), in parallel with similar attempts made in other languages.