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Is there a standard pronunciation for gender-neutral -@ or -x

English Language & Usage Asked on June 23, 2021

More and more I see, especially in activist communities, Spanish-derived words ending in x or @ in order to neuter the gendering inherent in the original language. For example: latinx (or latin@) as opposed to latina and latino.

How, though, are these endings pronounced? Please provide evidence of how this orthography is most commonly pronounced.

Note 1: I recognize this is in an English Language site, rather than a Spanish language site, but this phenomenon is very much happening in English, albeit with Spanish loan words. Therefore the question is relevant to non-Spanish-speaking English speakers.

Note 2: A question like this can lead to politically charged or, at least, sarcastic comments. Please refrain from bringing in your biases for or against.

Note 3: This question is not seeking opinions as to how some people pronounce the suffixes. Answers should address evidence of a developing orthodoxy in pronunciation.

3 Answers

Mostly attempts at fancy suffixes (for whatever reason) that are not quite fitting the morphological rules of a language are doomed to fail.

The -nx ending however is not uncommon in English. So just speak it the same as you would with Bronx, lynx, phalanx, sphinx: (ŋks)

Answered by Helmar on June 23, 2021

I first encountered this in Costa Rica in the 1990s! (It was not widespread at the time, but it was in use in at least some activist organisations promoting gender equality.) As far as I can recall, I don't think there was a way of pronouncing it, it was simply a way of shortening one's writing. You could write "amig@s", but you would still have to say "amigas y amigos".

Answered by FailedTheTuringTest on June 23, 2021

Merriam-Webster (in a blog) says to pronounce the "x" in "latinx" as "ex", and they give the pronunciation as "luh-TEE-neks" which in IPA would be something like /lə'ti neks/. Cambridge has voice samples that are similar.

Answered by Stuart F on June 23, 2021

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