The thesis focuses on the connection between gendered language and the lived experience of transgender and cisgender non-normative individuals. The Slovenian language reflects binary gender distinctions in almost all verbal forms, making it very difficult to avoid assigning gender to someone in communication. There is a discrepancy between the language, which contains only two grammatical gender forms (masculine and feminine), and the fact that today there exists a variety of psychological genders. This creates linguistic and social tension, as language is not only a means of communication but also a tool that defines our position and role in society.
I used a qualitative research approach by conducting semi-structured interviews to collect the experiences of transgender and cisgender non-normative individuals with the limitations of gender expression in the Slovenian language. The aim was to understand the challenges they face in their social interactions because of these limitations, how they overcome them, and how others react. The collected data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Based on participants’ responses and the theoretical background, I formulated a grounded theory for the context of this research.
The findings show that transgender and cisgender non-normative individuals feel the limitations of gender expression in Slovenian as a significant challenge in their everyday lives. They adopt various strategies to navigate this, such as avoiding gender-specific language, using passive voice and plural forms or generic descriptions, and switching between masculine and feminine grammatical forms. Although certain adaptations exist for incorporating non-binary gender into the language, we haven´t yet managed to find a good long-term solution to ensure a better position for transgender and cisgender individuals in language and in society.
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