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English neutral pronouns: Difference between revisions
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==The list== | ==The list== | ||
This list is of third-person singular pronouns | This list is of third-person singular pronouns in English. Some are "new" pronouns, and others have been in use for over a hundred years. | ||
Please feel free to add more, though note that if you don't provide citations for [[Talk:English neutral pronouns#Notability|notability]] or include all five forms your entry may be moved to the talk page or be removed entirely. List pronoun sets in alphabetical order by their nominative form, or by the name of the set. | Please feel free to add more, though note that if you don't provide citations for [[Talk:English neutral pronouns#Notability|notability]] or include all five forms your entry may be moved to the talk page or be removed entirely. List pronoun sets in alphabetical order by their nominative form, or by the name of the set. | ||
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* '''Reflexive:''' Each child feeds ''herself''. '''or''' Each child feeds ''himself''. | * '''Reflexive:''' Each child feeds ''herself''. '''or''' Each child feeds ''himself''. | ||
'''Usage:''' In the | '''Usage:''' In the 2018 Gender Census, 13.8% of respondents chose "mix it up" both alone and in addition to other pronoun choices.<ref name="Census2018">[http://gendercensus.com/post/177314368855/gender-census-2018-the-pronouns-question Gender Census - The pronouns question], August 2018.</ref> | ||
===Co=== | ===Co=== | ||
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'''Usage:''' | '''Usage:''' | ||
* In the | * In the 2018 Gender Census survey, 31.2% of participants were happy for people to use ''he'' pronouns when referring to them.<ref name="Census2018></ref> | ||
===He or she=== | ===He or she=== | ||
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'''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>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. | ||
'''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 | '''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. | ||
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'''Usage:''' | '''Usage:''' | ||
* In the 2016 Nonbinary Stats survey, 25% of participants were happy for people to use ''she'' pronouns when referring to them.<ref name= | * In the 2016 Nonbinary Stats survey, 25% of participants were happy for people to use ''she'' pronouns when referring to them.<ref name="Census2018"></ref> | ||
'''On Pronoun Island:''' [http://pronoun.is/she http://pronoun.is/she] | '''On Pronoun Island:''' [http://pronoun.is/she http://pronoun.is/she] | ||
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* [[Nonbinary celebrities#Kate Bornstein|Kate Bornstein]] used them in the books ''Nearly Roadkill'' (1996) (with Caitlin Sullivan June)<ref>Caitlin Sullivan June and Kate Bornstein. ''Nearly Roadkill: An Infobahn erotic adventure.'' New York: Serpent's Tail, 1996, p. 10.</ref>, and ''My Gender Workbook'' (1998) in reference to hirself, and to other specific transgender people, as well as hypothetical persons of unspecified gender.<ref>Kate Bornstein, ''My Gender Workbook.'' 1st ed. 1998, p. 106-107, 119, 130-131, 154, 248.</ref> | * [[Nonbinary celebrities#Kate Bornstein|Kate Bornstein]] used them in the books ''Nearly Roadkill'' (1996) (with Caitlin Sullivan June)<ref>Caitlin Sullivan June and Kate Bornstein. ''Nearly Roadkill: An Infobahn erotic adventure.'' New York: Serpent's Tail, 1996, p. 10.</ref>, and ''My Gender Workbook'' (1998) in reference to hirself, and to other specific transgender people, as well as hypothetical persons of unspecified gender.<ref>Kate Bornstein, ''My Gender Workbook.'' 1st ed. 1998, p. 106-107, 119, 130-131, 154, 248.</ref> | ||
* Kate Bornstein goes by these "ze, hir" pronouns. Leslie Feinberg asked to be called by "ze, hir" pronouns, along with "zie, hir" and "she."<ref>Minnie Bruce Pratt, "Transgender Pioneer and Stone Butch Blues Author Leslie Feinberg Has Died." ''Advocate.'' November 17, 2014. [http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2014/11/17/transgender-pioneer-leslie-feinberg-stone-butch-blues-has-died http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2014/11/17/transgender-pioneer-leslie-feinberg-stone-butch-blues-has-died]</ref> In a magazine interview from 2014, Gabriel Antonio and another anonymous person both asked to be called by these pronouns.<ref>Al Donato, "He And She, Ze And Xe: The Case For Gender-Neutral Pronouns." ''The Plaid Zebra.'' [http://www.theplaidzebra.com/ze-xe-case-gender-neutral-pronouns/ http://www.theplaidzebra.com/ze-xe-case-gender-neutral-pronouns/]</ref> | * Kate Bornstein goes by these "ze, hir" pronouns. Leslie Feinberg asked to be called by "ze, hir" pronouns, along with "zie, hir" and "she."<ref>Minnie Bruce Pratt, "Transgender Pioneer and Stone Butch Blues Author Leslie Feinberg Has Died." ''Advocate.'' November 17, 2014. [http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2014/11/17/transgender-pioneer-leslie-feinberg-stone-butch-blues-has-died http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2014/11/17/transgender-pioneer-leslie-feinberg-stone-butch-blues-has-died]</ref> In a magazine interview from 2014, Gabriel Antonio and another anonymous person both asked to be called by these pronouns.<ref>Al Donato, "He And She, Ze And Xe: The Case For Gender-Neutral Pronouns." ''The Plaid Zebra.'' [http://www.theplaidzebra.com/ze-xe-case-gender-neutral-pronouns/ http://www.theplaidzebra.com/ze-xe-case-gender-neutral-pronouns/]</ref> | ||
* In the 2016 Nonbinary Stats survey, | * In the 2016 Nonbinary Stats survey, 5.3% of people said they'd be happy for people to use ''"zie/hir/hir/hirs/hirself"'' to refer to them.<ref name="Census2018"></ref> | ||
'''Forms:''' | '''Forms:''' | ||