'On this Side': The Production, Progression, and Potential of Cisgender
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2015
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of Linguistics
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Thesis (B.A.)
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en_US
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Abstract
The word cisgender is in the process of emerging to fill in what was (and remains for some) a
lexical gap for the meaning 'not transgender or gender non-conforming'. I investigate the
etymology, history, and current state of the word cisgender in a bid to predict its viability in non-specialized
parlance, as well as how the variation that currently exists around this word will
eventually settle. I undertake a historical and current exploration through Internet-based research,
including document-based research, time-delimited Google searches, and a questionnaire, paying
particular attention to the roles that academic, Internet, and activist communities have played in
the spread of cisgender. Whatever its origins, the word is currently used primarily by people who
identify as transgender, gender non-conforming, or queer- a population that includes some
cisgender people but certainly not the majority- thus, I consider the effect that coinage of a
word by a socially marginalized group to label a socially dominant group might have upon the
acceptance of that word. Finally, I take into account the possible futures of cisgender by briefly
considering the work of sociolinguists, queer linguists, and others who work with the role of
identity in linguistic change. Eventually, I conclude that the scope of this paper is too narrow to
properly make predictions about the future of cisgender, but that it is still useful as an
exploration of the utility of looking at issues of language and identity from a marginalized
perspective.*