Reading and pronouncing X

By Edmée Pardo

I despair of not giving voice to words I understand. Not knowing or being able to pronounce what I understand with my eyes, let alone in another language, in my own. I understand the policy of inclusive language, I respect it, although I don't use it. I know what todjs means, but I don't know how to pronounce it. Todjs? Todos? Todas goes with a, todos goes with o, todes goes with e, but how do I say todcs. I scratch my throat, I try, I laugh. I don't know how to speak with the x, even if I think in terms of gender and inclusion or try to. How do I make the x sound if not as a j or cs, how do I pronounce being inclusive?

I have witnessed this mess of orality on many, many occasions when people see my name for the first time. Idmí? Edmí? Édme? Edmée, I say, just as it is written, strong at the end, where the accent is. Ah, they answer, Edmunda's Edmée? No, Edmée de Edmée. French spelling. I had not heard it before, they lash out. How do you give voice to the new, to the unknown?