This edited book explores the ambiguity and overlap in the usage of terms such as “gender-inclusive”, “gender-fair”, and “gender-neutral” across various disciplines and languages, aiming to achieve conceptual clarity and advocate for standardisation. The authors examine different aspects of gender-inclusivity in European languages including Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish, and Swedish. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of fields such as Linguistics, Psychology, Anthropology, and Cultural Studies.
Edited by:
Falco Pfalzgraf
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Country of Publication: Switzerland
Dimensions:
Height: 210mm,
Width: 148mm,
ISBN: 9783031912306
ISBN 10: 3031912306
Series: Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality
Pages: 249
Publication Date: 06 September 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
1.Introduction: Gender-neutral, Gender-fair, Gender-inclusive — Towards Conceptual Clarity across European Languages.- 2. Geschlechtergerechte, gendergerechte or rather geschlechtsneutrale Sprache? An exploration of terminology and concepts related to gender-fair language use in German .- 3. How to label ‘gender-fair’ language use in Dutch. A discussion of the main terms genderbewust ‘gender-aware’, genderneutraal ‘gender-neutral’ and genderinclusief ‘gender-inclusive’ in and outside academia.- 4.Conceptual reflections on gender and language in Swedish.- 5. You can’t be (gender-)neutral on a moving train: Inclusivity and nonbinarity in English.- 6. The politics of gender in French: understanding complex language policies in France.- 7. Lingua, linguaggio, genere e inclusività: conceptualising language and gender in Italian.- 8. Non-sexist, gender-inclusive and gender-neutral language in Spanish: sociolinguistic evolution and current challenges.- 9. Gender-inclusive Romanian: Labels and Institutional Representations.- 10. Beyond words: interpreting terminology in gender-neutral/inclusive language practices in Polish.
Falco Pfalzgraf is Reader in German Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London, UK.
