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.

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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].

*'Surname'/'Initial.' 'Surname'; Just the surname or the first name's inital followed by the surname.

===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, lad

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

| Enby

|-

| Adult person

| Adult, gentlebeing, gentleperson, grownup

| Woman, gal, lady

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* '''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.

*'''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>

*'''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>

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

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

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

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

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

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

* '''Nesser.''' Non-standard genderqueer term for "daughter/son".<ref name="titles queeries" />

*'''Nesser.''' Non-standard genderqueer term for "daughter/son".<ref name="titles queeries" />

* '''Offspring.''' Neutral, standard word, but not usually used for people, except in legal language.

*'''Offspring.''' Neutral, standard word, but not usually used for people, except in legal language.

* '''Oldest/First-born.''' Neutral, a way of speaking of one's offspring by saying "my oldest" or "first-born", rather than saying "my daughter/son."<ref name="titles queeries" />

* '''Progeny.''' Neutral, means offspring.

*'''Progeny.''' Neutral, means offspring.

* '''Second-born.''' Neutral, a way of speaking of one's offspring by saying "my second-born," rather than saying "my daughter/son." Also works for middle-, third-, fourth-, fifth-born etc. <ref name="titles que

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{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.
@@ Line 45: / 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].
-*'Surname'/'Initial.' 'Surname'; Just the surname or the first name's inital followed by the surname.
 ===Common nouns===
@@ Line 52: / 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, lad
-| Child, kid, infant, teen, teenager, tween, young person, youth
 | Enby
 |-
 | Adult person
+| Adult, gentlebeing, gentleperson, grownup
 | Woman, gal, lady
 | 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, individual, 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 89: / Line 97: @@
 * '''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 126: / Line 136: @@
 |word3 = Kid|meaning3 = Standard informal gender neutral term for young children or young offspring.}}
-* '''I’m their mother.''' Rephrasing to communicate the relationship by naming the title of the speaker.
+* '''I’m their parent/mother/father.''' Rephrasing to communicate the relationship by naming the title of the speaker.
+* '''Non-identical twin, dizygotic twin, biovular twin, two-egg twins.''' Neutral alternative to "fraternal twin".
-* '''Bitsy.''' Non-standard [[genderqueer]] term for a very young person.<ref name="titles queeries" />
+*'''Bitsy.''' Non-standard [[genderqueer]] term for a very young person.<ref name="titles queeries" />
-* '''Charge.''' Standard gender neutral word for a person in the care of another, often one's child.
+*'''Charge.''' Standard gender neutral word for a person in the care of another, often one's child.
-* '''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.
+*'''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>
+*'''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>
-* '''Get.''' Poetic language for offspring.
+*'''Get.''' Poetic language for offspring.
-* '''Little one.''' Neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
+*'''Little one.''' Neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
-* '''Minor.''' Standard gender-neutral word for a person under the legal age of consent.
+*'''Minor.''' Standard gender-neutral word for a person under the legal age of consent.
-* '''Nesser.''' Non-standard genderqueer term for "daughter/son".<ref name="titles queeries" />
+*'''Nesser.''' Non-standard genderqueer term for "daughter/son".<ref name="titles queeries" />
-* '''Offspring.''' Neutral, standard word, but not usually used for people, except in legal language.
+*'''Offspring.''' Neutral, standard word, but not usually used for people, except in legal language.
 * '''Oldest/First-born.''' Neutral, a way of speaking of one's offspring by saying "my oldest" or "first-born", rather than saying "my daughter/son."<ref name="titles queeries" />
-* '''Progeny.''' Neutral, means offspring.
+*'''Progeny.''' Neutral, means offspring.
-* '''Second-born.''' Neutral, a way of speaking of one's offspring by saying "my second-born," rather than saying "my daughter/son." Also works for middle-, third-, fourth-, fifth-born etc. <ref name="titles que