SOBRE EL ALCANCE Y LA FUNCIÓN DEL USO DEL LENGUAJE INCLUSIVO EN EL AULA DE ESPAÑOL COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA
ON THE SCOPE AND FUNCTION OF THE USE OF INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE IN THE SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Summary/Abstract: The proliferation of proposals to introduce inclusive language strategies in the SFL (Spanish as a Foreign Language) classroom over the last decade has made it necessary to engage in a calm and rigorous discussion among teachers, researchers, and specialists in the field. It is worth asking what objectives teachers aim to achieve through the implementation of these proposals, and to what extent these proposals are capable of meeting those goals. This paper presents a series of reasons that, in our opinion, are pertinent to consider in examining the role and scope of the use of inclusive language. The critique is based on the analysis of the generic masculine and the alternatives proposed for its avoidance. The thorough description of grammatical gender in Spanish, as well as the empirical evidence on its interpretation currently available, challenges some of the premises used in the defense of inclusive language, and rarely questioned. We propose a shift in focus from the functioning of language as a system to the use of language as a tool for communication. We consider that, in terms of effectiveness, this is a strategy with greater potential to contribute to the elimination, or at least to the reduction, of social inequality between men and women.

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