Dr. Kirby Conrod received their BA in Linguistics and Literature at UC Santa Cruz, and their MA and PhD in Linguistics at the University of Washington. Their dissertation, Pronouns Raising and Emerging, is a sociosyntactic analysis of a change in progress around the specific use of singular they. Their recent work focuses on nonbinary pronouns and other sociolinguistic approaches to morphosyntax. They are currently an assistant professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore College, where they lead the Socially Contextualized Syntax (SoCS) Lab. Their upcoming book, How to Nonbinary a Language (OUP, 2028) explores the diverse linguistic strategies employed by nonbinary people around the world.
Title: How to Nonbinary a Language
Abstract: How do nonbinary people use the morphosyntactic and lexical resources across the world's languages to craft a nonbinary linguistic gender presentation? I identify four major strategies: semantic shift; analogical extension; compounds / blending; and pragmatic strategies. Examples from English, German, Russian, Spanish, Czech, Hebrew, ASL, French, Mandarin, and more show how nonbinary people use and combine these strategies. (NB: a preview of my upcoming book!)
Title: How to Nonbinary a Language
Abstract: How do nonbinary people use the morphosyntactic and lexical resources across the world's languages to craft a nonbinary linguistic gender presentation? I identify four major strategies: semantic shift; analogical extension; compounds / blending; and pragmatic strategies. Examples from English, German, Russian, Spanish, Czech, Hebrew, ASL, French, Mandarin, and more show how nonbinary people use and combine these strategies. (NB: a preview of my upcoming book!)
| Building: | East Hall |
|---|---|
| Event Type: | Lecture / Discussion |
| Tags: | Talk |
| Source: | Happening @ Michigan from Department of Linguistics |
