A Question of Language

I am sorry to see Princeton, or perhaps just PAW, succumbing to a senseless linguistic fad, as in “Latinx celebration” of Commencement (On the Campus, July 11). The well-meant aim is of course to recognize that the graduates are not all of one sex (or gender), but I see three problems with this practice.

First, if pronounced as written (Latinks), it’s awkward (try Chicanks!). Second, if pronounced “Latineks,” it does violence to English spelling, which treats “x” as two consonant sounds (ks) without a vowel sound (we write “exit,” not “xit,” “sex,” not “sx”). Third, it violates English syntax. When we say “Latino celebration” we are using an adjective to modify the noun “celebration,” which in English is neuter, an adjective that has nothing to do with the gender of the persons doing the celebrating. Saying “Latino celebration,” as we normally do in English, in no way excludes any gender of celebrant. By the way, in Spanish we would say “celebración latina,” using a feminine adjective to modify the feminine noun, no matter how many non-females may be celebrating.

Editor’s note: Arlene Gamio ’18 has compiled a guide to the term “Latinx.” It can be found at http://bit.ly/latinxguide.