A trans linguistic perspective on multiple pronoun use in English

Abstract

This paper examines language ideologies surrounding the perceived indexicality of gendered pronouns among speakers who use multiple pronoun sets. Through a discourse analysis of research interviews with speakers who use multiple pronouns in English, I argue that these language ideologies must be understood as grounded in trans epistemologies—trans-affirming ways of thinking and knowing about gender that emerge from trans communities—to understand how such ideologies both resist and align with dominant understandings of the exclusive and constitutive relationship between pronouns and gender. The analysis not only expands our understanding of multiple pronoun use, but also broader gendered language practices among trans, nonbinary, and other gender-diverse speakers. In doing so, it further demonstrates the need for a trans linguistics (Zimman 2020) that highlights the relevance of trans ways of knowing to our understanding of language and gendered practice.