Neopronoun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neopronouns are a category of neologistic English third-person personal pronouns beyond 'she', 'he', 'they', 'one', and 'it'.[1] Neopronouns are preferred by some non-binary individuals who feel that neopronouns provide more options to reflect their gender identity more accurately than conventional pronouns.[2][3][4]

Neopronouns may be words created to serve as pronouns such as 'ze/hir' or 'noun-self' pronouns where existing words are turned into personal pronouns such as 'fae/faer'.[5] Some neopronouns allude to they/them, such as 'ey/em', a form of Spivak pronoun.[6]

A survey by The Trevor Project in 2020 found that 4% of LGBT+ youth used neopronouns.[7]

History[]

The singular they, a popular non-binary pronoun today, emerged in the 14th-century poem William and the Werewolf, but newer pronouns were not coined until much later.[1][8]

The word 'thon', derived from 'that one', was introduced as a gender-neutral pronoun in 1858, added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 1934 and removed from it in 1961.[1][9] 'Ze' as a gender-neutral English pronoun dates back to at least 1864.[1] In 1911, an insurance broker named Fred Pond invented the pronoun set "he'er, his'er and him'er", which the superintendent of the Chicago public-school system proposed for adoption by the school system in 1912, sparking a national debate in the US,[10] with 'heer' being added to the Funk & Wagnalls dictionary in 1913.[11] The Sacramento Bee used the gender-neutral 'hir' for 25 years from the 1920s to the 1940s.[10][12] In 1970, Mary Orovan invented the pronoun 'co/coself', which gained use in a cooperative community in Virginia called the Twin Oaks Community, where it was still in use as of 2011.[10] In 1996, Kate Bornstein used the pronouns 'ze/hir' to refer to a character in their novel Nearly Roadkill.[10] The Oxford English Dictionary added an entry for 'ze' in 2018[1][13] and entries for 'hir' and 'zir' in 2019.[1][14]

The term 'neopronoun' emerged in the 2010s.[1]

Reception[]

There has been some conflict over the subject of neopronouns, with opposition to the idea in both the cisgender and transgender communities. Many people find them clunky, unfamiliar, and difficult to use.[1] Common views are that neopronouns users are attempting to get attention, they are trying to fit a certain aesthetic, and that neopronouns, specifically noun-self pronouns, make the LGBT community look like a joke and pull focus away from bigger issues.[3][15]

Many people are supportive of neopronouns, stating they are helpful for genderqueer individuals to find "something that was made for them"[16] and for neurodivergent people, who may struggle with their gender identity.[3] On social media platforms such as Twitter, there are many posts affirming the validity of neopronouns.[5] Several magazines and newspapers have published articles on neopronouns that are generally in support of them, detailing how to use them and be supportive of those who do.

Noun-self pronouns[]

Noun-self pronouns are a category of pronouns used by individuals which involve a word being recontextualised as a pronoun.[17] Examples of noun-self pronouns include vamp/vampself, kitten/kittenself, and doll/dollself.[5] Noun-self pronouns trace their origins to the early 2010s on the website Tumblr.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Elizabeth Yuko (June 29, 2021). "Beyond They/Them: What Are Neopronouns?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  2. ^ Samantha Castro. "In Defense of Neopronouns". Institute for Youth Policy. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  3. ^ a b c "Neopronouns: Helpful or Harmful? Charlotte Lavers, Steyning Grammar School". The Argus. November 15, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  4. ^ Tracey Anne Duncan (May 13, 2021). "Neopronouns are the next step in the gender revolution". Mic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. ^ a b c Ezra Marcus (April 8, 2021). "A Guide to Neopronouns". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  6. ^ "How to be an ally to friends who've changed their pronouns". BBC Bitesize. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  7. ^ "Pronouns Usage Among LGBTQ Youth". The Trevor Project. 29 Jul 2020. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 Feb 2022.
  8. ^ "A brief history of singular 'they'". Oxford English Dictionary. September 4, 2018. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "We added a gender-neutral pronoun in 1934. Why have so few people heard of it?". www.merriam-webster.com. Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  10. ^ a b c d Michael Waters (June 4, 2021). "Where Gender-Neutral Pronouns Come From". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  11. ^ Dennis Baron (July 25, 2020). "Heer, hiser, himer: Pronouns in the news, 1912 edition". University of Illinois. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  12. ^ Jodi Heckel (January 29, 2020). "Tracing the history of gender-neutral pronouns". Illinois News Bureau. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  13. ^ "New words list June 2018". Oxford English Dictionary. June 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  14. ^ "New Words in the OED: March 2019". Oxford English Dictionary. March 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  15. ^ "Are Neopronouns Counterproductive?". THE HILL NEWS. 2021-11-12. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  16. ^ "How To Use Neopronouns, According To Experts & People Who Use Them". Bustle. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  17. ^ Wallace, Megan (2021-11-09). "Here's what you need to know about neopronouns". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  18. ^ Ezra Marcus (April 21, 2021). "What's playful, what's deeply meaningful and what's being mean? A guide to neopronouns". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
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