Gender-inclusive language in the Argentine digital public discourse: A glottopolitical perspective

This article presents preliminary results of an institutional research project on novel uses of Spanish in Argentina. Specifically, since the resurgence of gender-inclusive language movements in 2018, the assessments of speakers and institutions on the creation of new gender morphemes (such as “e” and “x”) have exposed perspectives on language that we consider problematic: the regulatory institutions of Spain are taken as a reference for discussions about Spanish in Argentina. By taking into account the debates about the right to speak and the exercise of linguistic authority in a context of growing demands for social equity, we seek to explore the interaction between dominant and individual discourses, to understand to what extent linguistic statements can lead to discrimination against speakers. Especially, we seek to inquire into the language ideologies and representations are currently produced concerning inclusive language. By adopting a dialogical approach to discourses and a glottopolitical perspective (Arnoux 2014; Becker, Arnoux and Del Valle 2021), we analyse comments published in X (formerly Twitter) and digital newspapers about three cases involving the use of GIL in 2019. We focus on polemical discursive strategies through which internet users align with the dominant discourse associated with the panHispanic ideology of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE). To do so, we will analyze tweets and readers’ comments on news published by Argentine digital newspapers during 2019, where we will identify which voices are evoked, which statements are delegated and which are not, and how different arguments are presented in relation to language agents’ positions.