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Guidelines for Inclusive Language
These guidelines grew out of the Guidelines for Nonsexist Usage, originally developed by the LSA Committee on the Status of Women in Linguistics (COSWL), and formally approved by the Executive Committee in 1996. The focus of the guidelines has been revised and expanded since the inaugural edition to reflect a broader focus on inclusive language. While the guidelines still address issues related to gender, they also address issues related to minorities, disabilities, and other demographic characteristics of the LSA membership and readership of which authors and presenters should be aware, and to which they should be sensitive in their communication.
Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. These guidelines highlight ways in which linguists can both lead the way in proactively writing inclusively and avoid past pitfalls or habits that may unintentionally lead to marginalization, offense, misrepresentation, or the perpetuation of stereotypes. Stereotyping language is often not a matter of intention but of effect. These guidelines are based on decades of research, feedback from informed members of the Linguistic Society of America, and a review of similar documents from other organizations and government bodies.
The recommendations in these guidelines apply not only to academic writing and presentations in the strictest sense, but also to other forms of communication, such as narratives summarizing an individual's expertise or qualifications, letters of recommendation, statements of policy, advertisements for research or training opportunities, discourses in social media, and so on. These guidelines are necessarily concentrated on usage practices in English; of course, specific practices will differ from language to language, but the spirit of the guidelines should remain the same.
Inclusive_Lg_Guidelines.pdf [DOWNLOAD]
Guidelines for avoiding misgendering in professional communications
This document corresponds with the LSA's statement against linguistic misgendering and provides a
brief guide to practical ways to make written and verbal communication in linguistics (with colleagues
and students) more gender-inclusive and identity-affirming
202105 Guidelines for avoiding misgendering in professional communications.pdf [DOWNLOAD]