English neutral pronouns: Difference between revisions
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* Steven Shaviro's theoretical fiction novel ''[http://www.dhalgren.com/Doom/ Doom Patrols]'' (1995-1997) uses spivak pronouns at times.<ref>Steven Shaviro, "Preface." ''Doom Patrols.'' [http://www.dhalgren.com/Doom/ch00.html http://www.dhalgren.com/Doom/ch00.html]</ref> | * Steven Shaviro's theoretical fiction novel ''[http://www.dhalgren.com/Doom/ Doom Patrols]'' (1995-1997) uses spivak pronouns at times.<ref>Steven Shaviro, "Preface." ''Doom Patrols.'' [http://www.dhalgren.com/Doom/ch00.html http://www.dhalgren.com/Doom/ch00.html]</ref> | ||
* The English translation of Sayuri Ueda's science fiction novel ''The Cage of Zeus'' (2011) uses spivak pronouns for genetically engineered characters with non-dyadic bodies and non-binary gender.<ref>Sayuri Ueda, ''The Cage of Zeus.'' 2011.</ref> | * The English translation of Sayuri Ueda's science fiction novel ''The Cage of Zeus'' (2011) uses spivak pronouns for genetically engineered characters with non-dyadic bodies and non-binary gender.<ref>Sayuri Ueda, ''The Cage of Zeus.'' 2011.</ref> | ||
* In Orion's Arm (a fictional 12th millennium AD setting, as non-specific pronouns for sophonts of any gender, including AIs and aliens.<ref>http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/495360fba7a46</ref> | * In Orion's Arm (a fictional 12th millennium AD setting, as non-specific pronouns for sophonts of any gender, including AIs and aliens.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pronouns, Anglish |url=http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/495360fba7a46|work=Orion's Arm Universe Project}}</ref> | ||
'''Use for people:''' | '''Use for people:''' | ||
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===Fae=== | ===Fae=== | ||
'''fae, faer, faer, faers, faerself'''. A fairy (faery, faerie, fey or Fair Folk) themed set created by Ciel (Tumblr user shadaras) in | '''fae, faer, faer, faers, faerself'''. A fairy (faery, faerie, fey or Fair Folk) themed set created by Ciel (Tumblr user shadaras) in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 October 2013|title=So I might possibly have spent today on and off prodding pronouns...|url=https://shadaras.tumblr.com/post/62865192916}}</ref> It may also have been independently coined earlier by someone else. This is the most commonly used [[nounself pronouns|nounself pronoun]] set, and it may have been created earlier than them. It may have been what inspired many people to create nounself pronouns in 2014. A similar fairy-themed set is '''fey, fey, feys, feys, feyself''', which was recorded in 2014,<ref name="askanonbinary general">[http://askanonbinary.tumblr.com/general Ask A Nonbinary's list of unthemed pronouns], captured March 2016</ref> of unknown origin. Additionally, as coined by Esrabane in 2019 (discord user esrabane#6026) '''fey, feyr, feyrself'''. Further evidence shows use of fey, feyr, feyrself in 2018 by Kallifrey (discord user 物の哀れ#1760). | ||
'''Usage:''' | '''Usage:''' | ||
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''See also: [[English neutral pronouns#Alternating pronouns|alternating pronouns]]'' | ''See also: [[English neutral pronouns#Alternating pronouns|alternating pronouns]]'' | ||
'''he or she, him or her, his or her, his or hers, himself or herself'''. These are very commonly used as gender-neutral pronouns for unspecified persons, such as in instructions and legal documents. Although grammatically acceptable, and a step more inclusive than only using "he" in these contexts, its length soon makes it cumbersome.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20050205052157/http://www.aetherlumina.com/gnp/faq.html</ref> It almost always puts the "male" pronoun before the "female" pronoun, which is a little less than equality. (Similar efforts at inclusive language almost always end up with this same male-first ordering: "the habit of always saying 'male and female,' 'husbands and wives,' 'men and women' revealed an unquestioned priority," as pointed out by Casey Miller and Kate Swift in ''Words and Women'' (1976),<ref>Casey Miller and Kate Swift, ''Words and Women.'' Page x.</ref> a book on sexism in language and feminist efforts for inclusive language.) "He or she" also gives the impression of including binary genders, while excluding the possibility of other genders. | '''he or she, him or her, his or her, his or hers, himself or herself'''. These are very commonly used as gender-neutral pronouns for unspecified persons, such as in instructions and legal documents. Although grammatically acceptable, and a step more inclusive than only using "he" in these contexts, its length soon makes it cumbersome.<ref>{{cite web|title=GNP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)|url=http://www.aetherlumina.com/gnp/faq.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050205052157/http://www.aetherlumina.com/gnp/faq.html|archive-date=5 February 2005}}</ref> It almost always puts the "male" pronoun before the "female" pronoun, which is a little less than equality. (Similar efforts at inclusive language almost always end up with this same male-first ordering: "the habit of always saying 'male and female,' 'husbands and wives,' 'men and women' revealed an unquestioned priority," as pointed out by Casey Miller and Kate Swift in ''Words and Women'' (1976),<ref>Casey Miller and Kate Swift, ''Words and Women.'' Page x.</ref> a book on sexism in language and feminist efforts for inclusive language.) "He or she" also gives the impression of including binary genders, while excluding the possibility of other genders. | ||
'''Use by nonbinary people:''' Interestingly enough, although "he or she" may be the most popularly used inclusive pronoun set (along with "they"), and therefore may seem an obvious choice for nonbinary people, this set doesn't seem to be popularly used by nonbinary people. However, this may be an artifact of the way the surveys were taken. The 2018 Gender Census found 13.8% of the respondents asked people to "mix up" their pronouns ([[English neutral pronouns#Alternating pronouns|alternating pronouns]]).<ref name="Census2018"/> A 2012 survey found 20 respondents who wished to be called both "he" and "she."<ref>anlamasanda, | '''Use by nonbinary people:''' Interestingly enough, although "he or she" may be the most popularly used inclusive pronoun set (along with "they"), and therefore may seem an obvious choice for nonbinary people, this set doesn't seem to be popularly used by nonbinary people. However, this may be an artifact of the way the surveys were taken. The 2018 Gender Census found 13.8% of the respondents asked people to "mix up" their pronouns ([[English neutral pronouns#Alternating pronouns|alternating pronouns]]).<ref name="Census2018"/> A 2012 survey found 20 respondents who wished to be called both "he" and "she."<ref>anlamasanda, "Results of pronoun survey." January 1, 2012. http://anlamasanda.tumblr.com/post/15140114246</ref> It may be the case that people who prefer to be called "he or she" simply entered their preference into the surveys in a slightly different format. It may also be the case that it's virtually unheard-of for nonbinary people to feel that "he or she" represents them. Either way, its absence in these surveys is intriguing and may need to be addressed more specifically in future surveys. | ||
"Results of pronoun survey." January 1, 2012. http://anlamasanda.tumblr.com/post/15140114246</ref> It may be the case that people who prefer to be called "he or she" simply entered their preference into the surveys in a slightly different format. It may also be the case that it's virtually unheard-of for nonbinary people to feel that "he or she" represents them. Either way, its absence in these surveys is intriguing and may need to be addressed more specifically in future surveys. | |||
'''Forms:''' | '''Forms:''' | ||
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===Zie=== | ===Zie=== | ||
'''zie, zir (zim), zir, zirs, zirself'''. (Compare the most similar pronoun set, "ze, zir", and other similar pronouns, "xe" and "zhe".) The Gender-Neutral Pronoun FAQ says this set (with the "zie" spelling, and accusative "zir") was widely used on the Internet at the time but doesn't know when it was created.<ref>{{cite web |title=GNP FAQ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229202924/http:/aetherlumina.com/gnp/listing.html |url=http://aetherlumina.com/gnp/listing.html|archive-date=29 February 2012}}</ref> Andrés Pérez-Bergquist recommended a version of this set (with the "zie" spelling, and accusative "zim") in 2000, but claims not to have created it.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pérez-Bergquist |first=Andrés |title=Gender-neutral pronouns: The value of zie|date=2000|url=http://santiago.mapache.org/nonfiction/essays/zie.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216114837/http://santiago.mapache.org/nonfiction/essays/zie.html |archive-date=16 February 2019}}</ref> | '''zie, zir (zim), zir, zirs, zirself'''. (Compare the most similar pronoun set, "ze, zir", and other similar pronouns, "xe" and "zhe".) The Gender-Neutral Pronoun FAQ says this set (with the "zie" spelling, and accusative "zir") was widely used on the Internet at the time but doesn't know when it was created.<ref name="GNPFAQ">{{cite web |title=GNP FAQ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229202924/http:/aetherlumina.com/gnp/listing.html |url=http://aetherlumina.com/gnp/listing.html|archive-date=29 February 2012}}</ref> Andrés Pérez-Bergquist recommended a version of this set (with the "zie" spelling, and accusative "zim") in 2000, but claims not to have created it.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pérez-Bergquist |first=Andrés |title=Gender-neutral pronouns: The value of zie|date=2000|url=http://santiago.mapache.org/nonfiction/essays/zie.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216114837/http://santiago.mapache.org/nonfiction/essays/zie.html |archive-date=16 February 2019}}</ref> | ||
'''Use in fiction:''' | '''Use in fiction:''' | ||