221:
in-between space that serves some non-binary individuals who see themselves on a spectrum between traditionally masculine and traditionally feminine). At the same time, the phonetic and orthographic similarity iel shares with il and elle allows interlocutors and readers to easily recognise it as a third-person subject pronoun.
229:
some people in non-binary communities reject iel on the premise that it is indeed too similar to standard subject pronouns. They express concern that this similarity could lead people to believe it is a slight mispronunciation or typo (and not its own unique non-binary pronoun) and/or not to notice a
234:
Debates around the pronoun have also focused on the difficulty of introducing gender neutrality into a language where every noun falls into one of two genders. Even in cases where a gender neutral pronoun is used in a sentence, the rest of the words in that sentence would still need to be conjugated
211:
have argued in favour of the pronoun's use, arguing that it makes the language more inclusive and less sexist. Some advocates have also raised concerns that lack of gender neutral options in French might force non-binary people to turn towards languages that do have more prominent gender neutral
220:
While some neologisms have not yet taken off, the personal pronoun iel (pronounced ; sometimes written yel) is indeed surfacing as a promising alternative to il and elle. Phonetically, it blends properties of the binary pronouns il and elle, which suggests a fusion or continuum of the two (an
172:
In August 2019, the
Canadian federal government's Language Portal of Canada stated that "writing in a way that is inclusive of non-binary people is a contemporary linguistic challenge," saying that there was no consensus on best practices. That year, the
869:
320:
who had argued that the pronoun was "woke ideology" and "a manifest ideological intrusion which undermines our common language." Earlier in 2021, Jolivet had sponsored legislation aimed at prohibiting the use of
578:"Respecter la non-binarité de genre en français – Blogue Nos langues – Ressources du Portail linguistique du Canada – Langues – Identité canadienne et société – Culture, histoire et sport – Canada.ca"
297:
has argued that use of the pronoun is "absolutely possible in a social context," but that "it's absurd in a linguistic context because you can't just decide to change a language just like that." The
430:
1018:
199:
added "iel" to its online dictionary. The dictionary's general secretary
Charles Bimbenet stated that the word was still relatively uncommon but had become increasingly used throughout 2021.
382:
312:
argued against the pronoun after the Petit Robert added it to its dictionary, saying that "l'Ă©criture inclusive is not the future of the French language." His comment came in defence of
1000:
80:
503:
833:
748:
540:
521:
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908:
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558:
177:
advised against standard usage of "iel" and other gender neutral neologisms, proposing instead that writers avoid using gender-specific terms when possible.
730:
158:
890:
963:
272:
had defended use of the pronoun, saying that it can enrich the language and including it "doesn't force anything on those who don't want to use it."
305:
264:
has argued that the French language is often viewed "with the idea that it should never change" and that the "iel" has seen resistance similar to
614:
333:, also argued against the pronoun, saying that "feminism is a grand cause, but it's not a cause that's worth changing the French language for."
636:
162:
417:
Knisely, Kris A. Le français non-binaire: Linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French. Foreign
Language Annals. 2020;53:850–876.
870:"Apparition du pronom "iel" dans Le Robert : "C'est un peu surprenant qu'il entre déjà dans un dictionnaire", s'étonne un linguiste"
982:
486:
462:
192:) in its style guide. The broadcaster had previously not used Ă©criture inclusive, and used the pronoun on a case-by-case basis only.
88:
consists of two genders: the masculine and the feminine. To make words or phrases gender-inclusive, French-speakers use two methods:
945:
157:
In April 2018, a group of doctoral students lobbied for the standard usage of "iel" along with other gender neutral language at the
815:
595:
577:
1042:
433:[Hélène Carrère d'Encausse of the Académie française calls the inclusion of "iel" in the Robert: "a publicity stunt".].
400:
673:
851:
213:
85:
261:
325:
in government publications, arguing that it "blurs the message and complicates the learning of the French language."
313:
294:
1052:
1047:
362:
37:
298:
154:
dating back to at least the early 2010s, including alternative spellings such as "iell," "ielle," and "ille."
64:
322:
290:
has called debates over the pronoun "a pretext" that "allows the normalisation of anti-feminist discourse."
189:
60:
95:
solutions strive to include both the masculine and feminine endings in the word. Examples include hyphens (
352:
254:
has stated that use of the pronoun is more prominent in online culture than in traditional media culture.
749:"Gender nonconforming French Canadians hit roadblocks as they seek to make language more gender-neutral"
301:
has rejected Ă©criture inclusive, stating that "in French, the neutral takes the form of the masculine."
275:
283:
282:
has stated that opposition to the pronoun "has nothing to do with linguistics. It's purely political."
165:
said that it was sympathetic to opening a discussion on the issue. In 2019, the UQAM student newspaper
431:"«Iel» dans le Robert : «un coup de pub» pour Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, de l'Académie française"
778:"The everyday poetics of gender-inclusive French: strategies for navigating the linguistic landscape"
440:
309:
166:
247:
317:
269:
251:
279:
257:
185:
184:
announced that it had formed a committee to discuss including "iel" and using Ă©criture inclusive (
797:
712:
383:"" He/she ", " il/elle ", " iel " : la transidentité bouscule les façons de se présenter"
239:
1019:"Brigitte Macron critique l'ajout du pronom " iel " dans le dictionnaire en ligne du Robert"
789:
704:
120:
330:
326:
33:
909:"Pourquoi l'ajout du pronom neutre " iel " dans le dictionnaire crée-t-il la controverse"
246:, discussions surrounding the pronoun have been less polarised in Canada than in France.
576:
Gouvernement du Canada, Services publics et
Approvisionnement Canada (August 19, 2019).
76:
1036:
801:
716:
347:
342:
46:
964:""Iel/ielle/ille" : pourquoi et comment utiliser ces pronoms "neutres" ?"
357:
196:
181:
56:
834:"Le mot de l'année 2019 aux États-Unis en est un qui manque cruellement en France"
793:
268:. French Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities
777:
655:
435:
92:
29:
243:
212:
options instead, notably the
English language. According to Kiki Kosnick of
208:
151:
126:
891:"Pourquoi le pronom neutre " iel " suscite-t-il tant de crispations ?"
637:"Malgré la polémique en France, Le Robert défend l'ajout du pronom " iel ""
708:
1004:
1001:
Comment un député LREM a fait ressurgir le débat sur l’écriture inclusive
235:
accordingly, requiring the introduction of neutral word endings as well.
596:"Banque de dépannage linguistique - Désigner les personnes non binaires"
418:
541:"Un groupe propose aux profs de l'UQAM d'adopter un "français dégenré""
692:
265:
522:"UQAM: les militants pour un français dégenré font fi des critiques"
693:"Toward a More Gender-Inclusive and Gender-Neutral French Language"
169:
announced that it was adopting "iel" in its standard style guide.
559:"Le masculin ne l'emporte plus sur le féminin au Montréal Campus"
983:"French dictionary sparks debate with non-binary 'iel' pronoun"
119:). Most writers avoid this practice in official titles such as
615:"Un comité se penche sur l'écriture inclusive à Radio-Canada"
927:"Le pronom iel maintenant dans le dictionnaire Le Robert"
630:
628:
504:"Nonbinary pronoun 'they' sparks French language debate"
129:
solutions contain a feminine word and a masculine word:
635:
ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Société- (17 November 2021).
487:"Le pronom "iel" est une affaire linguistique en cours"
944:
ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Société- (3 December 2015).
81:
Gender neutrality in languages with grammatical gender
613:ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Société- (10 June 2021).
401:"Petit lexique des genres, identités et sexualités"
163:
Syndicat des chargées et chargés de cours de l'UQAM
771:
769:
674:"Un "iel" vieux comme les cultures autochtones"
227:
218:
180:In January 2021, Canadian national broadcaster
885:
883:
539:Teisceira-Lessard, Philippe (April 17, 2018).
520:Teisceira-Lessard, Philippe (April 18, 2018).
8:
136:
130:
114:
108:
102:
96:
50:
40:
22:
816:"Le défi de l'enseignement du pronom "iel""
654:Beauchamp, Aimé Majeau (23 February 2021).
731:"Quand iel doit se tourner vers l'anglais"
288:Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
1025:. November 18, 2021 – via Le Monde.
946:"Un français plus neutre : utopie?"
463:"The Push to Make French Gender-Neutral"
389:. February 5, 2021 – via Le Monde.
852:"Ce " iel " qui dérange et qui dégenre"
374:
175:Office québécois de la langue française
981:Clercq, Geert De (November 17, 2021).
63:but is not officially accepted by the
419:https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12500876
7:
804:– via Taylor and Francis+NEJM.
691:Pilon, Simone (November 29, 2020).
999:Margaux Otter (19 February 2021),
36:intended as an alternative to the
14:
582:www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca
782:Modern & Contemporary France
461:Timsit, Annabelle (2017-11-24).
776:Kosnick, Kiki (April 3, 2019).
159:Université du Québec à Montréal
59:"). It has been adopted by the
306:Minister of National Education
1:
794:10.1080/09639489.2019.1588869
989:– via www.reuters.com.
86:Grammatical gender in French
77:French grammar § Gender
329:, wife of French President
262:University of Caen Normandy
207:LGBT+ rights advocates and
123:and favor the next process.
1069:
656:"Masculin, féminin ou moi"
74:
719:– via Project MUSE.
278:in Language Interactions
363:Elu (Portuguese pronoun)
314:La RĂ©publique En Marche!
38:gender-specific pronouns
1043:Gender-neutral pronouns
323:gender-neutral language
190:gender-neutral language
113:), or capital letters (
353:Elle (Spanish pronoun)
293:Radio-Canada linguist
232:
223:
138:citoyennes et citoyens
137:
131:
115:
109:
103:
97:
51:
41:
23:
709:10.1353/tfr.2020.0281
276:Canada Research Chair
195:In October 2021, the
18:Neo-pronoun in French
915:. November 18, 2021.
876:. November 17, 2021.
840:. December 10, 2019.
565:. February 13, 2019.
510:, December 11, 2019.
441:Agence France-Presse
310:Jean-Michel Blanquer
61:Le Robert dictionary
931:ici.radio-canada.ca
897:. 17 November 2021.
858:. 18 November 2021.
822:. 27 November 2021.
737:. January 22, 2021.
680:. 24 November 2021.
600:bdl.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca
493:. 18 November 2021.
252:Sorbonne University
230:distinction at all.
225:He goes on to say:
101:), median-periods (
299:Académie Française
65:Académie Française
697:The French Review
284:Gwenaëlle Perrier
240:Catherine Lalonde
214:Augustana College
150:The pronoun is a
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1053:2010s neologisms
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895:www.20minutes.fr
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318:François Jolivet
270:Élisabeth Moreno
146:History of usage
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121:Governor General
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107:), parentheses (
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970:. May 13, 2021.
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331:Emmanuel Macron
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167:Montréal Campus
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34:French language
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788:(2): 147–161.
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132:toutes et tous
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508:The Connexion
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439:(in French).
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348:Singular they
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343:Hen (pronoun)
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757:. Retrieved
755:. 2021-01-08
752:
743:
735:Francopresse
734:
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660:onfr.tfo.org
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470:. Retrieved
467:The Atlantic
466:
456:
445:. Retrieved
443:. 2022-02-23
434:
425:
413:
404:
395:
386:
377:
358:Ri (pronoun)
303:
295:Guy Bertrand
292:
280:Nicole Rosen
274:
258:Mathieu Goux
256:
237:
233:
228:
224:
219:
206:
197:Petit Robert
194:
182:Radio-Canada
179:
171:
156:
149:
110:Ă©tudiant(e)s
104:étudiant·e·s
98:Ă©tudiant-e-s
93:Orthographic
84:
21:
20:
15:
1023:Le Monde.fr
913:Vanity Fair
838:Le HuffPost
436:Le Parisien
405:Elle Québec
387:Le Monde.fr
308:since 2017
30:neo-pronoun
1037:Categories
874:Franceinfo
759:2021-06-14
472:2021-06-14
447:2022-10-28
369:References
116:Ă©tudiantEs
75:See also:
71:Background
968:RTBF Info
856:Le Devoir
820:Le Devoir
802:150540928
717:235025267
678:Le Devoir
563:La Presse
545:La Presse
526:La Presse
244:Le Devoir
209:feminists
152:neologism
127:Hendiadys
753:Montreal
337:See also
987:Reuters
304:French
286:of the
250:of the
203:Debates
49:") and
32:in the
800:
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266:Verlan
161:. The
79:, and
1005:L'Obs
798:S2CID
713:S2CID
28:is a
42:elle
790:doi
705:doi
316:MP
242:of
47:she
24:Iel
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