Gender neutral language in German: Difference between revisions

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Ich{{see also|Glossary of German gender and sex terminology}}
{{see also|Glossary of German gender and sex terminology}}
{{see also|Pronouns#German neutral pronouns|German neutral pronouns}}
{{see also|Pronouns#German neutral pronouns|German neutral pronouns}}
{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
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* meiniks bestiks Freundiks
* meiniks bestiks Freundiks
'''-ir, -on <ref>https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter</ref> and -chen Forms.'''
 
* Chirurgon
 
* Doktoron
'''Shortened words, -ir and -on <ref>https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter</ref> forms.'''
 
Shorten and/or add -ir or -on to make nouns gender-neutral. -ir works as a gender-neutral ending as it is a combination of -in and -er. -on can be used as an alternative to -ir when a word ends on the letter r.
 
<u>Shortened</u>
* Gema (Gemahlin/Gemahl)
* Prin/Kronprin
<u>Shortened/-ir/-on</u>
* Begleitir
* Chirurgir
* Cousir/Cousinir
* Doktir/Doktoron
* Freundir
* Freundir
* Partchen
* Gattir (Gattin/Gatte)
* Heiratir
* Könir
* Lehrir/Lehreron
* Partnir
* Partnir
* Witwon
* Professir/Professoron
* Schägir/Schwageron
* Trauzeugir
* Verlobtir
* Witwir
 


'''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>'''
'''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:
Fairly well known -i words:
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* Ich will Fotografierflausch werden.
* Ich will Fotografierflausch werden.
*
'''"-person" and "-mensch"'''


=== Pronouns ===
=== Pronouns ===
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|-
|-
!Examples
!Examples
|'''Dey''' wohnt in '''deren'''&nbsp;eigener Wohnung. Hast du&nbsp;'''demm''' neulich gesehen? Wie geht es '''denen'''?
|<small>'''Dey''' wohnt in '''deren'''&nbsp;eigener Wohnung. Hast du&nbsp;'''demm''' neulich gesehen? Wie geht es '''denen'''?</small>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">Ich kenne '''sien''' nicht. Ist '''sier''' hier&nbsp;eingezogen?Ich habe noch nie mit '''siem''' gesprochen.</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue"><small>Ich kenne '''sien''' nicht. Ist '''sier''' hier&nbsp;eingezogen?Ich habe noch nie mit '''siem''' gesprochen.</small></span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">Mit '''diem''' will ich&nbsp;nichts zu tun&nbsp;haben.&nbsp;'''Dier''' hört mir nie zu!</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue"><small>Mit '''diem''' will ich&nbsp;nichts zu tun&nbsp;haben.&nbsp;'''Dier''' hört mir nie zu!</small></span>
|Suchst du&nbsp;'''xien'''?'''Xier''' ist im&nbsp;Urlaub.
|<small>Suchst du&nbsp;'''xien'''?'''Xier''' ist im&nbsp;Urlaub.</small>
|Xier, '''dien''' ich um xiesen Fleiß&nbsp;beneide, ist mit '''diem''' Yuri befreundet.
|<small>Same as for "sier".&nbsp;</small>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">Ich rufe '''sin''' später zurück an, wenn ich mit '''sim''' auch entspannt reden kann.</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue"><small>Ich rufe '''sin''' später zurück an, wenn ich mit '''sim''' auch entspannt reden kann.</small></span>
|'''Hen''' lächelt  wie&nbsp;du.&nbsp;Bist du mit '''hem''' verwandt?
|<small>'''Hen''' lächelt  wie&nbsp;du.&nbsp;Bist du mit '''hem''' verwandt?</small>
|'''Dai''' Tankel, '''dai''' neu hier ist, fragt '''dai''' Ompa, '''dam''' ich&nbsp;mal&nbsp;ein&nbsp;Bild geschenkt habe, wie es hem geht.
|<small>'''Dai''' Tankel, '''dai''' neu hier ist, fragt '''dai''' Ompa, '''dam''' ich&nbsp;mal&nbsp;ein&nbsp;Bild geschenkt habe, wie es hem geht.</small>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">'''Hen''' wohnt mit '''hem''' in einem Reihenhaus.</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue"><small>'''Hen''' wohnt mit '''hem''' in einem Reihenhaus.</small></span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue">'''Dio''' Hansi, '''dereno''' Geschwister ich noch nie getroffen habe, findet '''dio''' Kayan beim Versteckenspielen nie.</span>
|<span style="color:DarkBlue"><small>'''Dio''' Hansi, '''dereno''' Geschwister ich noch nie getroffen habe, findet '''dio''' Kayan beim Versteckenspielen nie.</small></span>
|'''Em''' schmeckt mein Essen nie. Ich will '''en''' nicht mehr einladen.
|<small>'''Em''' schmeckt mein Essen nie. Ich will '''en''' nicht mehr einladen.</small>
|'''De''' Studente, mit '''derm''' ich gestern gesprochen habe, gefällt mir.
|<small>'''De''' Studente, mit '''derm''' ich gestern gesprochen habe, gefällt mir.</small>
|}
|}


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=== Article pronouns, possessive pronouns ===
=== Article pronouns, possessive pronouns ===
Unlike possessive adjectives ('dein Eis', 'ihr Bleistift', 'unser Löffel'), possessive pronouns ('deins', 'ihrer', 'unserer') stand for the entire possessed object, so they are not followed by a noun or declined. Article pronouns are can both function as articles and pronouns without undergoing any formal changes (ex.: Diesen (Pulli) mag ich nicht.).<ref>Ertl, Martin (2022): ''Kasusauffälligkeiten in Lerntexten''. Bielefeld: wbv Publikation, p. 53.</ref> For that reason, demonstratives that also function as pragmatically marked personal pronouns (see table 'Personal pronouns: dominant usage'), are also considered article pronouns, as they can refer to an entire syntagma on their own, or accompany/precede a noun (ex.: Den (Julian) mag ich nicht). In the De-e-system, however, the declension of the demonstrative personal pronoun is different from the other article pronouns.<ref>Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V (2023): ''Demonstrativ-/Relativpronomen''. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutral.net/deklinationstabellen/ (retrieved 28.03.2024).</ref>
Unlike possessive adjectives ('dein Eis', 'ihr Bleistift', 'unser Löffel'), possessive pronouns ('deins', 'ihrer', 'unserer') stand for the entire possessed object, so they are not followed by a noun or hierarchically tied to one. Thus, they act as an autonomous, unbreakable syntactic unit.
 
Article pronouns can both function as articles and pronouns without undergoing any formal changes (ex.: Diesen (Pulli) mag ich nicht.).<ref>Ertl, Martin (2022): ''Kasusauffälligkeiten in Lerntexten''. Bielefeld: wbv Publikation, p. 53.</ref> For that reason, demonstratives that also function as pragmatically marked personal pronouns (see table 'Personal pronouns: dominant usage'), are considered article pronouns too, as they can refer to an entire syntagma on their own, or accompany/precede a noun (ex.: Den (Julian) mag ich nicht). In the De-e-system, however, the declension of the demonstrative personal pronoun is different from the other article pronouns.<ref>Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V (2023): ''Demonstrativ-/Relativpronomen''. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutral.net/deklinationstabellen/ (retrieved 28.03.2024).</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+Inclusive possessive and article pronouns (genderneutral/-inclusive owned object)
|+Inclusive possessive and article pronouns (genderneutral/-inclusive owned object)
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|}
|}


=== '''Adjectives and nominalized adjectives''' ===
=== '''Indefinite pronoun''' ===
In German, there is the indefinite pronoun "man". This is used in everyday language regardless of gender. But the fact that it sounds exactly like the word "Mann" makes some people uncomfortable. A few decades ago, feminist language critics suggested using alternatives such as "frau" or "mensch". However, the word "frau" only evokes one gender, so it has no real advantage over "man".
 
From a linguistic history perspective, "man" is an Old High German noun that had the gender-neutral meaning of the word "human" and only later took on the meaning "man" as a noun.
 
The form "man" is only used in the nominative. In the dative and accusative, the forms "einem" and "einen" are used as indefinite pronouns; there is no genitive form of the indefinite pronoun in German.
 
"Mensch" and "eins" are suggested alternatives to the subject form of “man”. "einem"/"einen" would stay the same.


=== Titles ===
=== Titles ===
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* 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
* 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 and relationship terms ===
=== Family, relationship and people terms ===
See also: [https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter Nichtbinäre Wörter] at Nichtbinär-Wiki
See also: [https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter Nichtbinäre Wörter] at Nichtbinär-Wiki


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* Großes - standard
* Großes - standard
* Enbie, Enby - instead of Mädchen/Junge/Bub, nonstandard
* Enbie, Enby - instead of Mädchen/Junge/Bub, nonstandard
* Spross/nachkomme, means sprogeny/offspring/descendant


'''Aunt/Uncle'''
'''Aunt/Uncle'''
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* Batter
* Batter
* Cousibling
* Cousibling
* Cousinir
* Cousir/Cousinir
* Couson
* Seitschwister
* Seitschwister


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* Brüderin, Brüder*in - nonstandard
* Brüderin, Brüder*in - nonstandard
* Geschwister - standard, but not commonly used
* Geschwister - standard, but not commonly used
* Geschwisterchen - standard, but old fashioned and usually used for very young siblings
* Geschwisterchen - standard but old fashioned and usually used for very young siblings
* Große/Ältere Geschwister - big/older sibling
* Große/Ältere Geschwister - big/older sibling
* Kleine/Jüngere Geschwister - little/younger sibling
* Kleine/Jüngere Geschwister - little/younger sibling
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* Brautpartnir - nonstandard
* Brautpartnir - nonstandard
* Brautpartchen - nonstandard
* Eheperson
* Eheperson
* Ehepartei
* Ehepartei
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*Eheperson
*Eheperson
*Eheherzperson
*Eheherzperson
* Freund - nonstandard
* Freun - nonstandard
* Freundir - nonstandard
* Freunir/Freundir - nonstandard
* Freund*in
* Freund*in
* Gattir - nonstandard, oldfashion, from Gattin/Gatte
* Gattir - nonstandard, oldfashion, from Gattin/Gatte
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* Liebschaft
* Liebschaft
* Paarteil
* Paarteil
* Partchen - nonstandard
* Partner*in
* Partner*in
* Partnir - nonstandard
* Partnir - nonstandard
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'''In-law'''
'''In-law'''


* Schwageron - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
* Schwiegerelter - nonstandard, parent-in-law
* Schwiegerelter - nonstandard, parent-in-law
* Schwiegergeschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
* Schwiegergeschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
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* Schwiegerperson - in-law person
* Schwiegerperson - in-law person
* Schwiegschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
* Schwiegschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
* Schwägir - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
* Schwägir/Schwageron - nonstandard, sibling-in-law


'''Other'''
'''Other'''
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* Brautentourage - nonstandard neutral word for wedding entourage
* Brautentourage - nonstandard neutral word for wedding entourage
* Erwachsene Person - neutral word for adult
* Erwachsene Person - neutral word for adult
* Hauspartnir/Hauspartchen - nonstandard neutral word for housespouse
* Hauspartnir - nonstandard neutral word for housespouse


* Hauselter - nonstandard neutral word for houseparent
* Hauselter - nonstandard neutral word for houseparent
* Jemensch - non-male-generalizing alternative to jemand
* Jugenlicher/Jungere Person - neutral word for youth/young person
* Jugenlicher/Jungere Person - neutral word for youth/young person
* Köni - nonstandard neutral alternative to queen (königin) and king (könig)
* Niemensch - non-male-generalizing alternative to niemand
* Könilich - nonstandard neutral alternative to royal (königlich)
* Leut - nonstandard singular version of ''Leute''
* Leut - nonstandard singular version of ''leute''
* Leute - standard word for people
* Leute - standard word for people
* Prin/Kronprin - nonstandard alternatives for princess/prince and crownprincess/crownprince
* Thronfolger - neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince
* Regent/Monarch - standard neutral alternatives to queen and king
* Reich - neutral alternative to kingdom (königreich)
* Trauzeugir - nonstandard neutral alternative to ''trauzeugin/brautjungfern'' and ''trauzeuge(n)''
* Trauzeugir - nonstandard neutral alternative to ''trauzeugin/brautjungfern'' and ''trauzeuge(n)''
* Verehrte Publikum/Gäste/Leute - neutral alternative to "ladies and gentlemen"
* Verehrte/Liebe Publikum/Gäste/Leute/Menschen - neutral alternative to "ladies and gentlemen"


* Verheirateten - neutral alternative to married couple
* Verheirateten - neutral alternative to married couple
* Witwir - neutral alternative to widowed person/wid
* Älterer person - neutral alternative to old woman and old man
* Älterer person - neutral alternative to old woman and old man
=== Other terms ===
* Bürgir/Bürgeron - nonstandard neutral word for citizen
* Chirurgir
* Doktir/Doktoron
* Kollegir
* Könir - nonstandard neutral alternative to queen (königin) and king (könig)
* Könirlich - nonstandard neutral alternative to royal (königlich)
* Mittbewohnir - nonstandard neutral alternative to mittbewhonerin/mittbewohner
* Lehrir/Lehreron
* Prin/Kronprin - nonstandard alternatives for princess/prince and crownprincess/crownprince
* Professir/Professoron - nonstandard alternatives for professor
* Schülir/Schüleron - nonstandard alternatives for school-student
* Studentir - nonstandard alternative for student
* Thronfolger - neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince
* Regent/Monarch - standard neutral alternatives to queen and king
* Reich/Könirreich - neutral alternatives to kingdom (königreich)


== See also ==
== See also ==

Latest revision as of 06:41, 19 October 2024

See also: Glossary of German gender and sex terminology

See also: Pronouns#German neutral pronouns


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.[edit | edit source]

See also: 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[1]

Pronounced like iks.[2]

  • 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, -ir and -on [3] forms.

Shorten and/or add -ir or -on to make nouns gender-neutral. -ir works as a gender-neutral ending as it is a combination of -in and -er. -on can be used as an alternative to -ir when a word ends on the letter r.

Shortened

  • Gema (Gemahlin/Gemahl)
  • Prin/Kronprin

Shortened/-ir/-on

  • Begleitir
  • Chirurgir
  • Cousir/Cousinir
  • Doktir/Doktoron
  • Freundir
  • Gattir (Gattin/Gatte)
  • Heiratir
  • Könir
  • Lehrir/Lehreron
  • Partnir
  • Professir/Professoron
  • Schägir/Schwageron
  • Trauzeugir
  • Verlobtir
  • Witwir


Shortened words and nonsense forms [4]

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.

"-person" and "-mensch"

Pronouns[edit | edit source]

See main article at German neutral pronouns.

dey[edit | edit source]

Suggested by Riley Alexis in August 2016,[5] the "dey"-pronoun seems to be the most widespread nowadays. German translation of Starfield vom Bethesda Games Studios uses 'dey'/'demm' pronouns to refer to nonbinary protagonists. Some German speaking influencers use them as their pronouns (cf. @kai.isaiah_jamal) and so do other numerous Instagram users (i. e. search for the key words 'dey/dem' in the Instagram search engine). As for series, Star Treck Discovery uses 'dey' pronouns for their nonbinary/genderless characters.[6]

sier[edit | edit source]

Ravna Marin Siever, author of the book Was wird es denn? Ein Kind! Wie geschlechtsoffene Erziehung gelingt, uses pronouns from the sier-paradigm for people to refer to them. Several books use 'sier' pronouns.[7]

xier[edit | edit source]

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, hosted by Danielle Graf and Katja Seide, t

that they use the pronoun 'xier' for themselves.[8] Several books,[7] series[9] and video games use 'xier' pronouns. For an exhaustive list, see Xier Pronomen in Texten, Serien, Filmen und Video Games from Illi Anna Heger.[9]

hen[edit | edit source]

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 to with the same pronoun in the German translation from Jochen Barthel.[10] 'hen' also seems to be used by some bloggers,[11] instagrammers, and to be currently perceived as popular.[12][13]

en[edit | edit source]

An important number of the members of the Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch, that is currently growing, uses the en/em forms from the De-e-System as their pronouns.[14]

Tables[edit | edit source]

The relative pronouns are all similar to the demonstrative pronouns but for the genitive, represented in the last ligne of the table.

Except for the De-e-System (definite article: 'de' [də]; relative and demonstrative pronoun: 'de' [de(:)]), the definite article is similar to the demonstrative personal pronoun.

Primary and demonstrative personal pronouns, relative pronoun and definite article: dominant usage
Paradigm 'dey/dej'[15][16][17] 'sier' Version 2.1[18] 'xier' Version 3.3[19] 'hän'[20][21] NoNa-System[22][23] g-Genus[24] De-e-System[25]
solely referential and/or demonstrative syncretic pronoun solely ref. demonstr. solely ref. demonstr. solely ref. solely ref. demonstr. solely ref. demonstr. solely ref. demonstr.
Nominative dey/dej sier [zi:ɐ̯] dier [di:ɐ̯] xier dier hän hen dai hen dio en de [də]/[de(:)]
Accusative dey/dej; dem(m) [dɛm] sien dien xien dien sin hen dai hen dio en de [də]/[de(:)]
Dative denen; demm[26] siem diem xiem diem sim hem dam hem dero em derm
Genitive derer/deren sieser - xieser - sirer henser dais henser dero enser -
Genitive: relative pronouns derer/deren deren[27] deren - - dereno dersen
'hen' paradigms
Examples Dey wohnt in deren eigener Wohnung. Hast du demm neulich gesehen? Wie geht es denen? Ich kenne sien nicht. Ist sier hier eingezogen?Ich habe noch nie mit siem gesprochen. Mit diem will ich nichts zu tun haben. Dier hört mir nie zu! Suchst du xien?Xier ist im Urlaub. Same as for "sier".  Ich rufe sin später zurück an, wenn ich mit sim auch entspannt reden kann. Hen lächelt wie du. Bist du mit hem verwandt? Dai Tankel, dai neu hier ist, fragt dai Ompa, dam ich mal ein Bild geschenkt habe, wie es hem geht. Hen wohnt mit hem in einem Reihenhaus. Dio Hansi, dereno Geschwister ich noch nie getroffen habe, findet dio Kayan beim Versteckenspielen nie. Em schmeckt mein Essen nie. Ich will en nicht mehr einladen. De Studente, mit derm ich gestern gesprochen habe, gefällt mir.
Personal pronouns: peripheral usage
Paradigm SYLVAIN-Konventionen[28] 'sir' [zi:ɐ̯][29][30] 'hen'2[31] 'el'[32][33] 'ey'[34][35]
solely referential and/or demonstrative solely ref. demonstr. solely ref. demonstr. - - -
Nominative nin din sir dier hen el ey
Accusative nin din sihn dien han en emm
Dative nim dim ihrm derm ham em emm
Genitive nimser - sihrer - - emser eyser
(almost) Indeclinable personal pronouns
Paradigm 'ens'[36][37] 'en'[13][38] 'iks'[39]
Nominative ens en iks
Accusative ens en iks
Dative ens en iks
Genitive enser enser ikser

For an exhaustive list of all existent neopronouns, see https://nibi.space/pronomen#pronomen or https://de.pronouns.page/pronomen

Possessive adjectives[edit | edit source]

For the sake of clarity, the neuter grammatical gender is omitted from this table.

Inclusive possessive adjective (ownership of any gender)
Paradigm 'dey/dej'[15][16][17] 'sier' Version 2.1[18] 'xier' Version 3.3[19] 'hän'[20][21] NoNa-System[22][23] g-Genus[24] De-e-System[25]
Gender of the owned object masc. fem. incl. masc. fem. incl. masc. fem. incl. masc. fem. incl. masc. fem. incl. masc. fem. incl. masc. fem. incl. 3d PS incl. 1st and 2d PP
Nominative deren sies siese siesa xies xiese xiesa sir sire - hens hens hense henseo ens ense ens unse eue
Accusative siesen siese siesan xiesen xiese xiesan siren sire - hensen hense henseo ensen ense ens unse eue
Dative siesem sieser siesam xiesem xieser xiesam sirem sirer - hensem henser hensero ensem enser enserm unsererm eurerm
Genitive sieses sieser siesas xieses xieser xiesas sires sirer - henses henser hensero enses enser ensers unserers eurers
'hen' paradigms

The possessiv adjectives 'deren' and 'hens' offer the advantage of being easily learnable. As for the possessives suggested by the g-Genus, aside from appearing on nonbinary grammatical websites, they don't seem to have gained much popularity on online platforms. The possessive adjectives from the 'hän' paradigm are phonetically similar to the ones of the system proposed by Kathrin Kunkel-Razum, the editor-in-chief of the Duden.[30]

Article pronouns, possessive pronouns[edit | edit source]

Unlike possessive adjectives ('dein Eis', 'ihr Bleistift', 'unser Löffel'), possessive pronouns ('deins', 'ihrer', 'unserer') stand for the entire possessed object, so they are not followed by a noun or hierarchically tied to one. Thus, they act as an autonomous, unbreakable syntactic unit.

Article pronouns can both function as articles and pronouns without undergoing any formal changes (ex.: Diesen (Pulli) mag ich nicht.).[40] For that reason, demonstratives that also function as pragmatically marked personal pronouns (see table 'Personal pronouns: dominant usage'), are considered article pronouns too, as they can refer to an entire syntagma on their own, or accompany/precede a noun (ex.: Den (Julian) mag ich nicht). In the De-e-system, however, the declension of the demonstrative personal pronoun is different from the other article pronouns.[41]

Inclusive possessive and article pronouns (genderneutral/-inclusive owned object)
Paradigm 'dey/dej'[15][16][17] 'sier' Version 2.1[18] 'xier' Version 3.3[19] 'hän'[20][21] NoNa-System[22][23] g-Genus[24] De-e-System[25]
ex. with 'die' (plurall) ex. with 'jene·r·s' ex. with 'jede·r·s' ex. with 'eins·e·er'
Nominative derer

(only attested possessive pronoun for this paradigm)

no data yet no data yet no data yet jenai jedeo einey
Accusative jenai jedeo einey
Dative jenam jedero einerm
Genitive - - -
'hen' paradigms

Indefinite pronoun[edit | edit source]

In German, there is the indefinite pronoun "man". This is used in everyday language regardless of gender. But the fact that it sounds exactly like the word "Mann" makes some people uncomfortable. A few decades ago, feminist language critics suggested using alternatives such as "frau" or "mensch". However, the word "frau" only evokes one gender, so it has no real advantage over "man".

From a linguistic history perspective, "man" is an Old High German noun that had the gender-neutral meaning of the word "human" and only later took on the meaning "man" as a noun.

The form "man" is only used in the nominative. In the dative and accusative, the forms "einem" and "einen" are used as indefinite pronouns; there is no genitive form of the indefinite pronoun in German.

"Mensch" and "eins" are suggested alternatives to the subject form of “man”. "einem"/"einen" would stay the same.

Titles[edit | edit source]

Instead of Frau/Herr

  • Frann[42] - nonstandard
  • Ind.[42] von "Individuum", nonstandard
  • Mau[42] - nonstandard
  • Per - nonstandard
  • "Vorname, Nachname" - In vielen Fällen kann und sollte man anstelle eines Ehrentitels der Vor- und Nachname verwenden, z.B. "Kim Müller" statt "Frau/Herr Müller".

Professional & Academic Titles

  • Doctorx[42] - nonstandard
  • Professorx[42] - nonstandard
  • Professx[43], abgekürzt Prof. oder Profx. - nonstandard

Family, relationship and people terms[edit | edit source]

See also: Nichtbinäre Wörter at Nichtbinär-Wiki

Parent

  • Elter - German word for parent, will sound awkward but be recognised
  • Elta - nonstandard
  • Mapa - nonstandard
  • Pama - nonstandard
  • Wawa - nonstandard

Child

  • Kind - standard
  • Kleines - standard
  • Großes - standard
  • Enbie, Enby - instead of Mädchen/Junge/Bub, nonstandard
  • Spross/nachkomme, means sprogeny/offspring/descendant

Aunt/Uncle

  • Eltergeschwister - nonstandard
  • Eltschwister - nonstandard
  • Onte - nonstandard
  • Pibling - nonstandard
  • Tankel - nonstandard
  • Tonke - nonstandard

Niece/Nephew

  • Nibling - nonstandard
  • Niffe - nonstandard
  • Geschwisterkind - nonstandard
  • Schwisterkind - nonstandard
  • Seitkind - nonstandard

Cousin

  • Batter
  • Cousibling
  • Cousir/Cousinir
  • Seitschwister

Grandparent

  • Großelter - nonstandard, will sound awkward but be understood
  • Ohlta - nonstandard
  • Opma - nonstandard
  • Owa - nonstandard

Sibling

  • Bruderin, Bruder*in - nonstandard
  • Brüderin, Brüder*in - nonstandard
  • Geschwister - standard, but not commonly used
  • Geschwisterchen - standard but old fashioned and usually used for very young siblings
  • Große/Ältere Geschwister - big/older sibling
  • Kleine/Jüngere Geschwister - little/younger sibling

Partner

  • Brautpartnir - nonstandard
  • Eheperson
  • Ehepartei
  • Eheteil
  • Eheherzmensch - married to the heart person
  • Eheperson
  • Eheherzperson
  • Freun - nonstandard
  • Freunir/Freundir - nonstandard
  • Freund*in
  • Gattir - nonstandard, oldfashion, from Gattin/Gatte
  • Gema - nonstandard, oldfashion, from Gemahlin/Gemahl
  • Gespons - oldfashion
  • Heiratir - nonstandard
  • Herzmensch - literally heart person, used as a term of endearment
  • Liebschaft
  • Paarteil
  • Partner*in
  • Partnir - nonstandard
  • Verlobtir - nonstandard

In-law

  • Schwiegerelter - nonstandard, parent-in-law
  • Schwiegergeschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
  • Schwiegerkind - nonstandard, child-in-law
  • Schwiegerperson - in-law person
  • Schwiegschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
  • Schwägir/Schwageron - nonstandard, sibling-in-law

Other

  • Begleitir - nonstandard neutral word for one's company/companion
  • Brautentourage - nonstandard neutral word for wedding entourage
  • Erwachsene Person - neutral word for adult
  • Hauspartnir - nonstandard neutral word for housespouse
  • Hauselter - nonstandard neutral word for houseparent
  • Jemensch - non-male-generalizing alternative to jemand
  • Jugenlicher/Jungere Person - neutral word for youth/young person
  • Niemensch - non-male-generalizing alternative to niemand
  • Leut - nonstandard singular version of Leute
  • Leute - standard word for people
  • Trauzeugir - nonstandard neutral alternative to trauzeugin/brautjungfern and trauzeuge(n)
  • Verehrte/Liebe Publikum/Gäste/Leute/Menschen - neutral alternative to "ladies and gentlemen"
  • Verheirateten - neutral alternative to married couple
  • Witwir - neutral alternative to widowed person/wid
  • Älterer person - neutral alternative to old woman and old man

Other terms[edit | edit source]

  • Bürgir/Bürgeron - nonstandard neutral word for citizen
  • Chirurgir
  • Doktir/Doktoron
  • Kollegir
  • Könir - nonstandard neutral alternative to queen (königin) and king (könig)
  • Könirlich - nonstandard neutral alternative to royal (königlich)
  • Mittbewohnir - nonstandard neutral alternative to mittbewhonerin/mittbewohner
  • Lehrir/Lehreron
  • Prin/Kronprin - nonstandard alternatives for princess/prince and crownprincess/crownprince
  • Professir/Professoron - nonstandard alternatives for professor
  • Schülir/Schüleron - nonstandard alternatives for school-student
  • Studentir - nonstandard alternative for student
  • Thronfolger - neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince
  • Regent/Monarch - standard neutral alternatives to queen and king
  • Reich/Könirreich - neutral alternatives to kingdom (königreich)

See also[edit | edit source]

Main resources[edit | edit source]

  1. Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): Geschlechtsneutrale Sprache. Online at: https://nibi.space/geschlechtsneutrale_sprache.
  2. Pronouns.page (2024): Liste bekannter Pronomen. Neopronomen. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/pronomen.
  3. Pronouns.page (2024): Wörterbuch für geschlechtsneutrale Sprache. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/substantive.
  4. Illi Anna Heger (2022): Pronomen wie sier und xier. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen/.
  5. Verein für geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): De-e-System. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutral.net/gesamtsystem/.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ http://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel2/ Archived on 17 July 2023
  2. ↑ http://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel4/ Archived on 17 July 2023
  3. ↑ https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter
  4. ↑ http://nomthecatsaid.tumblr.com/post/124574373381/kennst-du-eine-gute-seite-auf-der-man-sich-%C3%BCber Archived on 17 July 2023
  5. ↑ Riley Alexis (2024): agenderbee. Online at:https://www.instagram.com/p/CZgOS9VqGWH/?igsh=MWs1eDVtYjRxMm9weA== (retrieved 21.03.2024).
  6. ↑ Heger, Illi Anna (2022): Darunter und darüber — "they" Pronomen in Filmen/Serien Deutsch übersetzen. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/darunterdarueber/ (retrieved 10.02.2024).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Heger, Illi Anna (2022): DiverserLesen. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/diverserlesen/ (retrieved 10.02.2024).
  8. ↑ 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).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Heger, Illi Anna (2022): Xier Pronomen in Texten, Serien, Filmen und Video Games. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomentexte/ (retrieved 10.02.2024).
  10. ↑ Lundqvist, Jesper/Johansson, Bettina (2019): Kivi & Monsterhund. Berlin: Maria Benson Verlag.
  11. ↑ 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).
  12. ↑ 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).
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 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).
  14. ↑ Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): r/geschlechtsneutral. Online at: https://www.reddit.com/r/geschlechtsneutral/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 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).
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Pronouns.page (2024): dey/denen/demm. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/dey/denen/demm?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Pronouns.page (2024): dej/denen/dej. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/dej?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Heger, Illi Anna (2022): Version 2.1: sier Pronomen ohne Geschlecht. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen21/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Heger, Illi Anna (2022): Version 3.3: xier Pronomen ohne Geschlecht. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen33/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 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).
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Pronouns.page (2024): hän/sim. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/h%C3%A4n?erweitert (retrieved 02.09.2024).
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Pronouns.page (2024): hen/hem. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/hen?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Moro, Jona/Frank, Noah (2024): Das NoNa-System. geschlechtsneutrale deutsche Grammatik. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutralesdeutsch.com/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Dominik Jahre (2018): Das g-Genus. Merkmale des g-Genus. Online at: https://www.geschlechtsneutral.com/index.html (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): De-e-System. https://geschlechtsneutral.net/gesamtsystem/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  26. ↑ Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): Pronomen. dey. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#dey (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  27. ↑ Heger, Illi Anna (2024): Personal Communication.
  28. ↑ 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).
  29. ↑ Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): sir. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#sir (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 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).
  31. ↑ Catboy Jaebeom/Fliederfuchs (2023): ASTRI'FA | THE BEARER OF STARS. Online at: https://catboy-jaebeom.tumblr.com/about (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  32. ↑ Pronouns.page (2024): el/em. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/el?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  33. ↑ Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): el. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#el (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  34. ↑ Pronouns.page (2024). ey/emm. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/ey?erweitert (retrieved 10.02.2024).
  35. ↑ Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ey/em. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#eyem (retrieved 10.02.2024).
  36. ↑ 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.
  37. ↑ Pronouns.page (2024): ens/ens. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/ens?erweitert (retrieved 10.02.2024).
  38. ↑ Pronouns.page (2024): en/en. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/en?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  39. ↑ Pronouns.page (2024): iks/iks. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/iks?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).
  40. ↑ Ertl, Martin (2022): Kasusauffälligkeiten in Lerntexten. Bielefeld: wbv Publikation, p. 53.
  41. ↑ Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V (2023): Demonstrativ-/Relativpronomen. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutral.net/deklinationstabellen/ (retrieved 28.03.2024).
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 42.4 Nonbinary Trans Germany, "Language." http://nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/language Archived on 17 July 2023
  43. ↑ http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/wunderbar/gendertheorie-studierx-lann-hornscheidt-ueber-gerechte-sprache-a-965843.html Archived on 17 July 2023
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