Il, elle, on…iel est : Queer (Socio) Linguistics and Identity Amongst Franco-Anglophone Gender Non-Binary Young People in Montreal

The author notes that the City of Montreal is known for its linguistic diversity, with both French and English being dominant languages in specific spheres. The author also points out that Montreal has also long had a strong LGBTQ presence, which is a draw for many queer people moving to the city. However, the author explains, for many nonbinary people in the city, linguistic expression is a challenge, especially as grammatical gender in French makes expressing oneself as a gender other than male or female quite difficult. Using Queer Linguistics, poststructuralism, and Betsy Rymes’ 2014 concept of communicative repertoire as groundwork, the author’s interview-based inquiry aims to create a better understanding of how young English-and-French speaking gender non-binary people living in Montreal navigate the French and English languages. The author explores how especially French grammatical gender has been adapted by these speakers. Factors found by the author to be important were: non-binary identities, changes in language use based on context, the social and linguistic spaces participants found to help foster self-understanding and inclusivity, and ways in which such spaces can be made more inclusive.

Master's Thesis

McGill University

Montreal

2021

99p.

en