Non-binary French Noun Formation

Emerging Morphological Patterns

Logo for Canadian-American Studies with stylized maple leaf and star.

Event Details

When:

-

Location:

Online: Zoom

Price:

Brought to you by:

Center for Canadian-American Studies, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni

Description

Check out this video to watch the Non-binary French Noun Formation.

2024 Speaker Series: Populations Rendered ‘Surplus’ in Canada

Non-binary French
is an umbrella term for a variety of morphological, syntactic, and lexical strategies designed to specifically refer to non-binary individuals, who are often dissatisfied with the masculine-feminine grammatical binary within standard French. Little work has been done on non-binary French morphology. Using a combination of non-binary French guides and interview data, Jennifer Kaplan identifies three morphological approaches to non-binary noun formation: A Compounding Approach combining masculine and feminine morphemes, an Invariable Approach using a single, non-binary morpheme, and a Systematic Approach, which involves the creation of sets of phonologically-conditioned morphological markers. This study theorizes morphological patterns in a heterogenous French variety, setting the stage for future comparative and variationist work.

Featuring:

Jennifer Kaplan is a light-skinned female with a broad smile, bright red lipstick, and large cat-eye glasses. She wears a coat with faux fur collar.

Jennifer Kaplan, Speaker

Jennifer Kaplan is a fourth-year PhD student in the Romance Languages and Literatures Program at UC Berkeley. Her work focuses on queer linguistics, with special attention to the evolving use of inclusive, non-binary, and neutral language in Romance languages, especially in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. She has published on the competing morphological systems of inclusive French; her current work is focused on language attitudes among trans, non-binary, and genderqueer Montrealers.

Accommodations and Other Details

Contact The Foundation for WWU & Alumni by calling (360) 650-3353 or emailing Alumni@wwu.edu. There will be auto-captions available for this event.