Gender neutral language in German
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{{see also|Glossary of German gender and sex terminology}}
{{see also|Pronouns#German neutral pronouns|German neutral pronouns}}
{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in German''' is more difficult than [[gender neutral language]] (also called gender inclusive language) in some languages, because German's grammatical gender is pervasive. See the main article on [[gender neutral language]] for general reasons to use neutral language, common problems in using it, and its use for [[nonbinary]] people.
=== Nouns, Adjectives etc. ===
See also: [https://nibi.space/geschlechtsneutrale_sprache Geschlechtsneutrale Sprache] at Nichtbinär-Wiki
'''Asterisk, Underscore, Punctuation'''
Pronounced as a pause or glottal stop. In between "feminine" and "masculine" ending, the most common version:
* mein_e beste*r Freund:in
Either after the stem - or more realistically at the next best place that has nothing to do with feminine/masculine forms but makes sense for pronunciation:
* mei:ne bes_ter Freun*din
At random places:
* mei*ne best:er Freundi_n
Can be used consistently or mixed up like in the example above.
'''X<ref> http://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel2/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230226234302/https://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel2/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>'''
Pronounced like iks.<ref>http://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel4/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230331104857/https://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel4/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>
* meinx bestx Freundx
(or e.g. Befreunx to avoid basing it on the masculine form) Or write it as -iks.
* meiniks bestiks Freundiks
'''Shortened Words and Nonsense Forms <ref>http://nomthecatsaid.tumblr.com/post/124574373381/kennst-du-eine-gute-seite-auf-der-man-sich-%C3%BCber [https://web.archive.org/web/20211114230553/https://nomthecatsaid.tumblr.com/post/124574373381/kennst-du-eine-gute-seite-auf-der-man-sich-%C3%BCber Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>'''
Fairly well known -i words:
* der_die Studi, dix Touri
New words by the same pattern:
* dier Mitbewohni, der*die Kollegi
Use the short -i forms or make up new endings and treat the word as neutrum.
* mein bestes Freundi
* mein liebes Mitbewohnsi
Use -mensch, -menschi, -person:
* das Postmenschi
* meine Liebhabperson
* der liebe Katzenbetreu-Mensch
Or just random words that you think are cute.
* Ich will Fotografierflausch werden.
=== Pronouns ===
''See main article at [[Pronouns#German neutral pronouns|German neutral pronouns]].''
{| class="wikitable"
|+Personalpronouns: dominant usage?
!Paradigm
!'dey/dej'<ref>Anonym (2017): ''Q: Ein [...] gegeben''. Online at: https://nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/post/148742824641/ein-befreundeter-mensch-von-mir-hat-sich-mal (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''dey/denen/demm''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/dey/denen/demm?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''dej/denen/dej''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/dej?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
! colspan="2" |<span style="color:DarkBlue">'sier' Version 2.1</span><ref>Heger, Illi Anna (2022): ''Version 2.1: sier Pronomen ohne Geschlecht''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen21/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
! colspan="2" |'xier' Version 3.3<ref>Heger, Illi Anna (2022): ''Version 3.3: xier Pronomen ohne Geschlecht''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen33/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
! colspan="2" |<span style="color:DarkBlue">SYLVAIN-Konventionen</span><ref>de Sylvain, Cabala/Balzer, Carsten (2008): ''Die SYLVAIN-Konventionen — Versuch einer "geschlechtergerechten" Grammatik-Transformation der deutschen Sprache.'' Online at: https://www.geschlechtsneutral.com/lit/Liminalis-2008-Sylvain-Balzer.pdf (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
! colspan="2" |De-e-System<ref>Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): ''De-e-System''. https://geschlechtsneutral.net/gesamtsystem/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
! colspan="2" |<span style="color:DarkBlue">g-Genus</span><ref name=":0">Dominik Jahre (2018): ''Das g-Genus. Merkmale des g-Genus''. Online at: https://www.geschlechtsneutral.com/index.html (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
! colspan="2" |NoNa-System<ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''hen/hem''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/hen?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref>Moro, Jona/Frank, Noah (2024): ''Das NoNa-System. geschlechtsneutrale deutsche Grammatik''. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutralesdeutsch.com/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">'hän'</span><ref>zweisatz (2011): ''HIGH ON CLICHÉS''. ''Glossar''. Online at: https://web.archive.org/web/20230531034450/https://highoncliches.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/glossar/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''hän/sim''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/h%C3%A4n?erweitert (retrieved 02.09.2024).</ref>
|-
!'''prosodical features'''
!
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">unstressed</span>
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">stressed</span>
!unstressed
!stressed
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">unstressed</span>
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">stressed</span>
!unstressed
!stressed
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">unstressed</span>
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">stressed</span>
!unstressed
!stressed
!
|-
!'''Nominative'''
|dey/dej
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">sier [zi:ɐ̯]</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">dier [di:ɐ̯]</span>
|xier
|dier
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">nin</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">din</span>
|en
|de [de(:)]
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">hen</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">dio</span>
|hen
|dai
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">hän</span>
|-
!'''Accusative'''
|dey/dej; dem(m) [dɛm]
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">sien</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">dien</span>
|xien
|dien
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">nin</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">din</span>
|en
|de [de(:)]
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">hen</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">dio</span>
|hen
|dai
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">sin</span>
|-
!'''Dative'''
|denen; demm<ref>Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''Pronomen. dey.'' Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#dey (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">siem</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">diem</span>
|xiem
|diem
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">nim
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">dim
|em
|derm
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">hem</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">dero</span>
|hem
|dam
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">sim</span>
|-
!'''Genitive'''
|derer
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">sieser</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">-</span>
|xieser
| -
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">nimser
| -
|enser
| -
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">-</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">-</span>
|henser
| -
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">sirer</span>
|}
* 'sier': Ravna Marin Siever, author of the book ''Was wird es denn? Ein Kind! Wie geschlechtsoffene Erziehung gelingt'', uses pronouns from the 'sier'-paradigma for people to refer to them.<ref>Siever, Ravna Marin (2022): ''Was wird es denn? Ein Kind! Wie geschlechtsoffene Erziehung gelingt''. Weinheim: Beltz, 97.</ref>
* 'xier': In the second episode (1:02) of the series ''City of Ghosts'', i. e. ''Stadt der Geister'' in German, Thomas states that their pronoun is 'xier'. The blogger Frau Papa Nina tells in an interview from the podcast Das gewünschteste Wunschkind from Danielle Graf and Katja Seide that they use the pronoun 'xier'.<ref>Frau Papa Nina in conversation (2019): Transsexualität und Diversität. In: Graf, Danielle/Seide, Katja (hosts): ''Das gewünschteste Wunschkind. Der Podcast''. Online at: https://plus.rtl.de/podcast/das-gewuenschteste-wunschkind-3r427sdoc4dw2/transsexualitaet-und-diversitaet-cbin4vimtsr1p (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
* 'hen': In the German version from ''Kivi & Monsterhund'' from Jesper Lundqvist and Bettina Johansson, the protagonist Kivi, who is referred to with the Swedish gender neutral pronoun 'hen', is referred with the same pronoun in the German translation from Jochen Barthel.<ref>Lundqvist, Jesper/Johansson, Bettina (2019): ''Kivi & Monsterhund''. Berlin: Maria Benson Verlag.</ref> 'hen' also seems to be used by some bloggers<ref>Annat75pyz (2023): ''Benutzt du das Pronomen "hen"?''. Online at: https://www.gutefrage.net/sprache-literatur-raetsel/deutsche-sprache/grammatik-rechtschreibung/frage/nenutzt-du-das-pronomen-hen (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref> and to be currently perceived as popular.<ref>Erhardt, Melissa (2022): Dey, Xier, Hen: Was es mit genderneutralen (Neo-)Pronomen auf sich hat. In: ''radio FM4''. Online at: https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3025024/ (retrieved 09.02,2024).</ref><ref name=":1" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Personalpronouns: peripheral usage?
!Paradigm
! colspan="2" |'sir' [zi:<span style="color:DarkBlue">ɐ̯]</span><ref>Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''sir''. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#sir (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref>Berliner Morgenpost (2017): ''Das sagen Berliner Experten zum Streit ums dritte Geschlecht''. Online at: https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article212586881/Das-sagen-Berliner-Experten-zum-Streit-ums-dritte-Geschlecht.html (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">'hen'<sub>2</sub></span><ref>Catboy Jaebeom/Fliederfuchs (2023): ''ASTRI'FA | THE BEARER OF STARS''. Online at: https://catboy-jaebeom.tumblr.com/about (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
!'el'<ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''el/em''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/el?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref>Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''el''. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#el (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">'ey'</span><ref>Pronouns.page (2024). ''ey/emm''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/ey?erweitert (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref><ref>Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''ey/em''. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#eyem (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref>
|-
!'''prosodical features'''
!unstressed
!stressed
!
!
!
|-
!'''Nominative'''
|sir
|dier
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">hen</span>
|el
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">ey</span>
|-
!'''Accusative'''
|sihn
|dien
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">han</span>
|en
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">emm</span>
|-
!'''Dative'''
|ihrm
|derm
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">ham</span>
|em
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">emm</span>
|-
!'''Genitive'''
|sihrer
| -
| -
|emser
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">eyser</span>
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Personal pronouns that have (almost) no declension
!Paradigm
!'ens'<ref>Lann Hornscheidt in conversation (2021): ''Debatte um Gendersprache: Sie oder er oder wie? „Ich wünsche mir, dass alle erst mal ens sind“.'' In: ''Berliner Zeitung.'' Retrieved 28.04.2021.</ref><ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''ens/ens''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/ens?erweitert (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref>
!<span style="color:DarkBlue">'en'</span><ref name=":1">von Usslar, Maria (2019): Er, sie, they, hen: Wie wollen Trans- und Interpersonen bezeichnet werden? In: ''Der'' ''Standard''. Online at: https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000106804139/er-sie-they-hen-wie-wollen-trans-und-interpersonen-bezeichnet (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref><ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''en/en''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/en?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
!'iks'<ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''iks/iks''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/iks?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|-
!Nominative
|ens
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">en</span>
|iks
|-
!Accusative
|ens
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">en</span>
|iks
|-
!Dative
|ens
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">en</span>
|iks
|-
!Genitive
|enser
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">enser</span>
|ikser
|}
=== Titles ===
'''Instead of Frau/Herr'''
* Frann<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany">Nonbinary Trans Germany, "Language." http://nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/language [https://web.archive.org/web/20230623035307/https://nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/language Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> - nonstandard
* Ind.<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> von "Individuum", nonstandard
* Mau<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> - nonstandard
* Per - nonstandard
'''Professional & Academic Titles'''
* Doctorx<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> - nonstandard
* Professorx<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> - nonstandard
* Professx<ref>http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/wunderbar/gendertheorie-studierx-lann-hornscheidt-ueber-gerechte-sprache-a-965843.html [https://web.archive.org/web/20230421011215/https://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/wunderbar/gendertheorie-studierx-lann-hornscheidt-ueber-gerechte-sprache-a-965843.html Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, abgekürzt Prof. oder Profx. - nonstandard
=== Family terms ===
See also: [https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter Nichtbinäre Wörter] at Nichtbinär-Wiki
'''Parent'''
* Elter - nonstandard, will sound awkward but be recognised
* Mapa - nonstandard
* Pama - nonstandard
'''Child'''
* Enbie, Enby - instead of Mädchen/Junge/Bub, nonstandard
* Großes - standard
* Kind - standard
* Kleines - standard
'''Aunt/Uncle'''
* Tankel - nonstandard
'''Niece/Nephew'''
* Nibling - nonstandard
'''Grandparent'''
* Großelter - nonstandard, will sound awkward but be understood
'''Sibling'''
* Bruderin, Bruder*in - nonstandard
* Brüderin, Brüder*in - nonstandard
* das Geschwister - nonstandard, will sound awkward but be understood
* Geschwisterchen - standard, but old fashioned and usually used for very young siblings
* der/mein Schwester - nonstandard
'''Partner'''
* Freund*in
* Herzmensch - literally heart person, used as a term of endearment
* Eheherzmensch - married to the heart person
*Eheperson
*Eheherzperson
* Liebschaft
* Partner*in
== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of German gender and sex terminology]]
* [[German neutral pronouns]]
== Resources ==
# Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''Geschlechtsneutrale Sprache''. Online at: https://nibi.space/geschlechtsneutrale_sprache.
# Pronouns.page (2024): ''Liste bekannter Pronomen. Neopronomen.'' Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/pronomen.
# Pronouns.page (2024): ''Wörterbuch für geschlechtsneutrale Sprache.'' Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/substantive.
# Illi Anna Heger (2022): ''Pronomen wie sier und xier''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen/.
# Verein für geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): ''De-e-System''. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutral.net/gesamtsystem/.
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Gender neutral language]]
[[Category:Germany]]
[[de:geschlechtsneutrale_sprache]]