Gender neutral language in English: Difference between revisions

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'''Gender neutral language in English''' is easier than [[gender neutral language]] (also called gender inclusive language) in many other languages, because its grammatical gender is less pervasive than in~~, say, German~~ or ~~French~~. 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.

'''Gender neutral language in English''' is much easier than [[gender neutral language]] (also called gender inclusive language) in many other languages, because its grammatical gender is less pervasive than in other languages where adjectives and verbs have masculine or feminine forms. 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.

==History==

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===== Ma'am/Sir =====

Standard English doesn't have a gender neutral word that's used in the same way as Ma'am and Sir — a formal form of address used in some places to show respect, and commonly required for use by customer service professionals. People have created some words to fill this lexical gap, but they remain uncommon words. People have also suggested using other words in place of Ma'am and Sir, but they tend to fail the tests of formality and simplicity that customer service professionals (and their managers) apply to such usage. {{Common word|word1=Friend|meaning1=Neutral, informal.|ref1=|word2=~~Tiz~~|meaning2=~~A gender-neutral replacement for ma'am/sir~~, ~~from Citizen~~.}}

Standard English doesn't have a gender neutral word that's used in the same way as Ma'am and Sir — a formal form of address used in some places to show respect, and commonly required for use by customer service professionals. People have created some words to fill this lexical gap, but they remain uncommon words. People have also suggested using other words in place of Ma'am and Sir, but they tend to fail the tests of formality and simplicity that customer service professionals (and their managers) apply to such usage. Many prefer no titles/no honorifics. {{Common word|word1=Friend|meaning1=Neutral, informal.|ref1=|word2=Mx.|meaning2=Neutral, used similar to Mr. Mrs. or Ms. Pronounced [mɪks] or [məks].}}

* "No titles/honorifics"

* "Surname"/'Initial.' 'Surname'; Just the surname.

* 'Initial.' "Surname"; First name's initial followed bu the surname.

* Friend; neutral, very informal.

* Mx.; neutral, used similar to Mr. Mrs. or Ms. Pronounced [mɪks] or [məks].

* Citizen; neutral.

*Comrade; neutral, has Socialist, Communist and/or Anarchist connotations.

* Friend; neutral, very informal.

* Laddam; queer, a mix of Lad and Madam.

* M.; Neutral abbreviation for miss/ms./mrs./mr./mister/ma'am/mx.

* Mamsir/Mamser; a mix of ma'am and sir that is commonly used in Philippine English as a respectful term of address for adults regardless of gender identity or presentation.<ref>[[wikt:mamsir#English|mamsir]]. ''Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary.'' 16 May 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.</ref>

* Mezz; pronounced [mɛz].<ref name="MoserDevereux2016">{{cite journal|last1=Moser|first1=Charles|last2=Devereux|first2=Maura|title=Gender neutral pronouns: A modest proposal|journal=International Journal of Transgenderism|volume=20|issue=2-3|year=2016|pages=331–332|issn=1553-2739|doi=10.1080/15532739.2016.1217446}}</ref>

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* Zam; neutral, based on shazam, coined by Arin Wolfe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601168520209978/|title=Facebook Groups|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2020-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111230125/https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601168520209978/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>

*Ser; neutral, based on Final Fantasy XIV's usage for both male and female knights of Ishgard.

*Mx.; neutral, used similar to Mr. Mrs. or Ms. Pronounced [mɪks].

===Common nouns===

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{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! Type of common noun

! Gender neutral

! Feminine

! Masculine

! ~~Gender inclusive (could be masculine or feminine)~~

! Nonbinary

~~! Specifically nonbinary~~

|-

| Young person

| Child, kid, baby, infant, teen, teenager, tween, young person, youth

| Girl, maiden

| Boy, ~~youth~~

| Boy, lad

~~| Child, kid, infant, teen, teenager, tween, young person, youth~~

| Enby

|-

| Adult person

| Adult, gentlebeing, gentleperson, grownup

| Woman, gal, lady

| Man, gentleman~~, lad~~

| Man, guy, gentleman

~~| Adult, gentlebeing, gentleperson, grownup~~

| Enby, enban

|-

| Person of any age

| Being, human, human being, individual, one, person, somebody, someone

| Female

| Male

~~| Being, human, human being, one, person, somebody, someone~~

| Enby

|-

|Descriptive

|Human, humane

|Feminine, womanly, girly, female, gynous

|Masculine, manly, boyish, male, androus

|Non-binary, inter, androgynous, neutral

|}

(Note that using "male" and "female" as nouns for people, e.g. "my dentist is a male", is seen as dehumanising in English, and in particular "female" as a noun is considered sexist.)

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{{common word|word1 = Parent|meaning1 = Neutral, formal|ref1=<ref name="titles queeries" />}}

* '''Guardian/Caregiver.''' Not necessarily the parent.

* '''Pom-Pom.''' Mix of "Papa" and "Mama"

* '''Baba.''' "Neutral, based on mama and dada. (Note, baba means dad in some languages and grandmother in others.)"<ref name="titles queeries">"Gender neutral/queer titles." ''Gender Queeries.'' [http://genderqueeries.tumblr.com/titles http://genderqueeries.tumblr.com/titles] [https://web.archive.org/web/20230612130812/https://genderqueeries.tumblr.com/titles Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

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====Child====

Some of these gender-inclusive or gender-queer words refer only to relationship (as in daughter, son, or offspring), others only to age (girl, boy, or young one), and some to both (children).

Some of these gender-inclusive or gender-queer words and phrases refer only to relationship (as in daughter, son, or offspring), others only to age (girl, boy, or young one), and some to both (children).

{{common word

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|word3 = Kid|meaning3 = Standard informal gender neutral term for young children or young offspring.}}

* '''Bitsy.''' Non-standard [[genderqueer]] term for a very young person.<ref name="titles queeries" />

* '''I’m their parent/mother/father.''' Rephrasing to communicate the relationship by naming the title of the speaker.

* '''Charge.''' Standard gender neutral word for a person in the care of another, often one's child.

* '''Non-identical twin, dizygotic twin, biovular twin, two-egg twins.''' Neutral alternative to "fraternal twin".

* '''Dependent.''' A person who relies on another-- usually a family member who may or may not be their parent-- for financial support; this is most often used as a standard gender-neutral word for a child too young to work. Formal.

* '''Enby.''' From "NB (nonbinary)", a nonbinary equivalent of the words "boy" and "girl." However, some adults call themselves enbies.<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20210717090737/https://gendercensus.com/post/620965788841558016/on-enby-and-age On “enby” and age]'', 15 June 2020, [https://gendercensus.com Gender Census]</ref>

*'''Bitsy.''' Non-standard [[genderqueer]] term for a very young person.<ref name="titles queeries" />

* '''Get.''' Poetic language for offspring.

*'''Charge.''' Standard gender neutral word for a person in the care of another, often one's child.

* '''Little one.''' Neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.

*'''Dependent.''' A person who relies on another-- usually a family member who may or may not be their parent-- for financial support; this is most often used as a standard gender-neutral word for a child too young to work. Formal.

* '''Minor.''' Standard gender-neutral word for a person under the legal age of consent.

*'''Enby.''' From "NB (nonbinary)", a nonbinary equivalent of the words "boy" and "girl." However, some adults call themselves enbi

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 {{Template:Gender neutral language}}
-'''Gender neutral language in English''' is easier than [[gender neutral language]] (also called gender inclusive language) in many other languages, because its grammatical gender is less pervasive than in, say, German or French. 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.
+'''Gender neutral language in English''' is much easier than [[gender neutral language]] (also called gender inclusive language) in many other languages, because its grammatical gender is less pervasive than in other languages where adjectives and verbs have masculine or feminine forms. 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.
 ==History==
@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 ===== Ma'am/Sir =====
-Standard English doesn't have a gender neutral word that's used in the same way as Ma'am and Sir — a formal form of address used in some places to show respect, and commonly required for use by customer service professionals. People have created some words to fill this lexical gap, but they remain uncommon words. People have also suggested using other words in place of Ma'am and Sir, but they tend to fail the tests of formality and simplicity that customer service professionals (and their managers) apply to such usage.  {{Common word|word1=Friend|meaning1=Neutral, informal.|ref1=|word2=Tiz|meaning2=A gender-neutral replacement for ma'am/sir, from Citizen.}}
+Standard English doesn't have a gender neutral word that's used in the same way as Ma'am and Sir — a formal form of address used in some places to show respect, and commonly required for use by customer service professionals. People have created some words to fill this lexical gap, but they remain uncommon words. People have also suggested using other words in place of Ma'am and Sir, but they tend to fail the tests of formality and simplicity that customer service professionals (and their managers) apply to such usage. Many prefer no titles/no honorifics.  {{Common word|word1=Friend|meaning1=Neutral, informal.|ref1=|word2=Mx.|meaning2=Neutral, used similar to Mr. Mrs. or Ms. Pronounced [mɪks] or [məks].}}
+* "No titles/honorifics"
+* "Surname"/'Initial.' 'Surname'; Just the surname.
+* 'Initial.' "Surname"; First name's initial followed bu the surname.
+* Friend; neutral, very informal.
+* Mx.; neutral, used similar to Mr. Mrs. or Ms. Pronounced [mɪks] or [məks].
 * Citizen; neutral.
 *Comrade; neutral, has Socialist, Communist and/or Anarchist connotations.
-* Friend; neutral, very informal.
 * Laddam; queer, a mix of Lad and Madam.
+* M.; Neutral abbreviation for miss/ms./mrs./mr./mister/ma'am/mx.
 * Mamsir/Mamser; a mix of ma'am and sir that is commonly used in Philippine English as a respectful term of address for adults regardless of gender identity or presentation.<ref>[[wikt:mamsir#English|mamsir]]. ''Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary.'' 16 May 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.</ref>
 * Mezz; pronounced [mɛz].<ref name="MoserDevereux2016">{{cite journal|last1=Moser|first1=Charles|last2=Devereux|first2=Maura|title=Gender neutral pronouns: A modest proposal|journal=International Journal of Transgenderism|volume=20|issue=2-3|year=2016|pages=331–332|issn=1553-2739|doi=10.1080/15532739.2016.1217446}}</ref>
@@ Line 44: / Line 49: @@
 * Zam; neutral, based on shazam, coined by Arin Wolfe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601168520209978/|title=Facebook Groups|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2020-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111230125/https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601168520209978/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
 *Ser; neutral, based on Final Fantasy XIV's usage for both male and female knights of Ishgard.
-*Mx.; neutral, used similar to Mr. Mrs. or Ms. Pronounced [mɪks].
 ===Common nouns===
@@ Line 50: / Line 54: @@
 {|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
 ! Type of common noun
+! Gender neutral
 ! Feminine
 ! Masculine
-! Gender inclusive (could be masculine or feminine)
+! Nonbinary
-! Specifically nonbinary
 |-
 | Young person
+| Child, kid, baby, infant, teen, teenager, tween, young person, youth
 | Girl, maiden
-| Boy, youth
+| Boy, lad
-| Child, kid, infant, teen, teenager, tween, young person, youth
 | Enby
 |-
 | Adult person
+| Adult, gentlebeing, gentleperson, grownup
 | Woman, gal, lady
-| Man, gentleman, lad
+| Man, guy, gentleman
-| Adult, gentlebeing, gentleperson, grownup
 | Enby, enban
 |-
 | Person of any age
+| Being, human, human being, individual, one, person, somebody, someone
 | Female
 | Male
-| Being, human, human being, one, person, somebody, someone
 | Enby
+|-
+|Descriptive
+|Human, humane
+|Feminine, womanly, girly, female, gynous
+|Masculine, manly, boyish, male, androus
+|Non-binary, inter, androgynous, neutral
 |}
 (Note that using "male" and "female" as nouns for people, e.g. "my dentist is a male", is seen as dehumanising in English, and in particular "female" as a noun is considered sexist.)
@@ Line 85: / Line 95: @@
 {{common word|word1 = Parent|meaning1 = Neutral, formal|ref1=<ref name="titles queeries" />}}
+* '''Guardian/Caregiver.''' Not necessarily the parent.
+* '''Pom-Pom.''' Mix of "Papa" and "Mama"
 * '''Baba.''' "Neutral, based on mama and dada. (Note, baba means dad in some languages and grandmother in others.)"<ref name="titles queeries">"Gender neutral/queer titles." ''Gender Queeries.'' [http://genderqueeries.tumblr.com/titles http://genderqueeries.tumblr.com/titles] [https://web.archive.org/web/20230612130812/https://genderqueeries.tumblr.com/titles Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>
@@ Line 115: / Line 129: @@
 ====Child====
-Some of these gender-inclusive or gender-queer words refer only to relationship (as in daughter, son, or offspring), others only to age (girl, boy, or young one), and some to both (children).
+Some of these gender-inclusive or gender-queer words and phrases refer only to relationship (as in daughter, son, or offspring), others only to age (girl, boy, or young one), and some to both (children).
 {{common word
@@ Line 122: / Line 136: @@
 |word3 = Kid|meaning3 = Standard informal gender neutral term for young children or young offspring.}}
-* '''Bitsy.''' Non-standard [[genderqueer]] term for a very young person.<ref name="titles queeries" />
+* '''I’m their parent/mother/father.''' Rephrasing to communicate the relationship by naming the title of the speaker.
-* '''Charge.''' Standard gender neutral word for a person in the care of another, often one's child.
+* '''Non-identical twin, dizygotic twin, biovular twin, two-egg twins.''' Neutral alternative to "fraternal twin".
-* '''Dependent.''' A person who relies on another-- usually a family member who may or may not be their parent-- for financial support; this is most often used as a standard gender-neutral word for a child too young to work. Formal.
-* '''Enby.''' From "NB (nonbinary)", a nonbinary equivalent of the words "boy" and "girl." However, some adults call themselves enbies.<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20210717090737/https://gendercensus.com/post/620965788841558016/on-enby-and-age On “enby” and age]'', 15 June 2020, [https://gendercensus.com Gender Census]</ref>
+*'''Bitsy.''' Non-standard [[genderqueer]] term for a very young person.<ref name="titles queeries" />
-* '''Get.''' Poetic language for offspring.
+*'''Charge.''' Standard gender neutral word for a person in the care of another, often one's child.
-* '''Little one.''' Neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
+*'''Dependent.''' A person who relies on another-- usually a family member who may or may not be their parent-- for financial support; this is most often used as a standard gender-neutral word for a child too young to work. Formal.
-* '''Minor.''' Standard gender-neutral word for a person under the legal age of consent.
+*'''Enby.''' From "NB (nonbinary)", a nonbinary equivalent of the words "boy" and "girl." However, some adults call themselves enbi