The French Inclusive Language Pie

🥧 Let’s Make a French Inclusive Language Pie

Imagine you’re about to make a pie. First, you have to choose whether you want it to be sweet or savoury. Does your audience have a sweet tooth, or do they prefer salty snacks?

🍰 If you don’t want to take any risks, you might prefer to go with an apple pie. It’s a classic, and it works every time. Maybe people won’t remember it or that you were the one who made it, but at least you won’t be criticised as long as you stick to the traditional ingredients.

🔎 Here, I’m talking about invisible inclusive language. The point is to make your texts gender-neutral. You can use methods that allow readers to feel included, regardless of their gender, while still remaining discrete in your political stance regarding French language.

💡 For example, your main ingredient (your apples) would be words like “person” or “individual,” which are not linked to the gender of the person you are talking about. “Personne” is always feminine and “individu” is always masculine.

🧀 On the other hand, if you like to stand out and want people to know and remember what you’re about, maybe you could go with a savoury pie. It might be unexpected, but if it’s good, I’m sure people will come back for seconds. And you might even inspire them to try making one themselves.

🔎 The savoury pie represents visible inclusive language. It will spark debates, but it will also show where you stand in terms of political values regarding French language, attracting those who appreciate this aspect of you.

💡 In practice, you could choose to use a typographic sign like the midpoint (travailleur·ses) or neologisms (traductaire) in order for people to be conscious of your inclusion efforts.

Bon appétit 😉