Annoying or important? Arguments for and against gender-inclusive language use in German across age and gender.

The article investigates attitudes toward gender-inclusive language use in German, focusing on arguments for and against its adoption across different age and gender groups. Based on a questionnaire completed by 222 native German speakers—including cisgender men and women as well as non-cisgender participants—the study identifies seventeen argument categories, many of which have persisted since the 1980s, such as language economy, habit, and aesthetics, while also highlighting newer themes like context-specific use. Positive attitudes are more associated with themes of inclusivity and language ideology, whereas negative attitudes emphasize language economy and aesthetics. The research further reveals that non-cisgender participants express the most varied and positive arguments supporting inclusive language, and that age differences in attitudes are less pronounced than gender differences.