Abstract
This paper addresses the challenges of using the definite article, or determiner, for non-binary individuals or those who wish to identify with the neutral gender. The main objective of this study is to analyze the possibilities for using the definite article in non-binary and the symbolic effect of using – or not using – this resource. While there is extensive literature on regions/people that use or do not use the definite article under certain circumstances, non-binary language presents other challenges. There are morphosyntactic and phonological obstacles discussed throughout the work, demonstrating the difficulty of this linguistic phenomenon being absorbed into the language so that non-binary individuals (and anyone else who wishes to) can have the representation they claim. To this end, the work employs Materialist Discourse Analysis theoretically and methodologically, using Gioni Caê's Manual for the Use of Neutral Language in Portuguese as its object of analysis, specifically the section on the possibilities of using articles for neutral/non-binary language. Finally, the analysis presents a final consideration: the process of historicity. Language only takes shape due to societal tension, and it is through language that non-binary subjects increasingly gain visibility and set an agenda for respect and diversity.