Pronouns
Pronouns are words that can be used in place of a noun or a noun phrase. The most well known example of pronouns are personal pronouns, which can refer to the individual or group speaking (first-person), the individual or group being spoken to (second-person), or other individuals or things (third-person).[1] In many Indo-European languages, including English, third-person personal pronouns can be gendered or have gendered connotations.[2]
Grammar
In English all third-person personal pronouns have five grammatical form.[1] The forms are:
- Nominative: Used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. ("They went to the store.")
- Accusative: Used when the pronoun is the object of the sentence. ("I met them today.")
- Pronominal Possessive: Used to show possession/relation to a noun, coming directly before the noun in question. ("They walked their dog today.")
- Predicative Possessive: Used to show possession of a noun, coming directly after a linking verb. This is the least common pronoun form, as it requires a very specific sentence construction that is not common in normal speech. When listing out the forms of a pronoun, this is the form that it most commonly left out. ("If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow theirs").
- Reflexive: Used when the subject and the direct object in a sentence are the same. In English, these pronouns always end with -self (singular) or -selves (plural). ("They have to drive themself to school").
In some pronoun sets two or more of these forms are the same. For example, in the he/him pronoun set the pronominal possessive and the predicative possessive forms are the same (his). In the she/her pronoun set the accusative and the pronominal possessive forms are the same (her). In the they/them set all five forms are different.
Pronoun Usage
Since pronouns are commonly gendered, the pronouns one uses are often used as a way to identify the gender of a person. Because of this, using the wrong pronouns, intentionally or accidentally, is one of the most common forms of misgendering. Transgender individuals often change pronouns along with names as part of their transition.[3]
Despite this, not everyone goes by pronouns that align with their gender. Pronouns are a form of gender expression and are related to one's gender in the same way clothing, hair, and other physical characteristics are related to one's gender. Pronouns may show a relation to one's gender, and comfort or discomfort with a given pronoun set may be an indication of one's gender, but pronouns do not have to correspond to one's gender. Some individuals are pronoun non-conforming as a form of gender non-conformity. Anyone of any gender can use any pronouns.[4]
Some individuals may be comfortable going by multiple pronoun sets (multipronomial), while some individuals might not use any pronouns at all (nullpronomial). Some English speakers go by pronouns that are not found in standard English, known as neopronouns, which includes but is not limited to nounself pronouns and emojiself pronouns.[5][6] Some question their pronouns or are unsure of their pronouns at times (dubtiopronomial).
Traditional English Pronouns
Traditional English (also known as exipronouns) are standard or socio-normative existing pronouns used in the modern day. He/him and she/her are gendered and typically relate to men and women respectively, whereas they/them, it/its, and one/ones are gender neutral. Exipronouns was created as a term to encompass the traditional English pronoun sets, and are often considered to be the opposite of neopronouns. However, the pronouns it/its is often debated as to whether it should be considered an exipronoun, as it's not typically used for humans, but still commonly used for other non-human entities such as objects and/or animals.[7][8][9]
He/Him
He/Him pronouns are typically, but not always, used by men, masculine-aligned individuals, or those who want to present masculinely. During the Middle English and Modern English periods a supposedly masculine personal pronoun (him) was considered gender neutral and said nothing about the gender or sex of the individual, however it later became more strongly associated with only men. In the 18th century, when prescriptive grammarians decided that singular "they" was no longer acceptable as a gender-neutral pronoun, they instead recommended "gender-neutral he" when referring to a generic individual.[10]
| Case | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | He | He went to the store. |
| Accusative | Him | I met him today. |
| Pronominal Possessive | His | He walked his dog today. |
| Predicative Possessive | His | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow his. |
| Reflexive | Himself | He has to drive himself to school. |
She/Her
She/Her pronouns are typically, but not always, used by women, feminine-aligned individuals, or those who want to present femininely. The pronoun "she", which first appears in the mid-12th century, and seems to have been created to reduce the increasing ambiguity of the pronoun system at the time.[11] "She" is occasionally used as a generic gender neutral pronoun in place of "gender-neutral he" as a feminist statement against the bias towards seeing men as the default.citation needed
| Case | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | She | She went to the store. |
| Accusative | Her | I met her today. |
| Pronominal Possessive | Her | She walked her dog today. |
| Predicative Possessive | Hers | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow hers. |
| Reflexive | Herself | She has to drive herself to school. |
They/Them
The Oxford English Dictionary traces singular 'they' back to 1375, and throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was used as a singular gender neutral pronoun, making it one of the oldest pronouns in the English language.[12] However, in the 18th century prescriptive grammarians declared that 'they' should only be used when referring to a group, and suggested using a "gender-neutral he" as an alternative.[13] Reasons given for this are: 1) Latin did not have a singular, gender neutral pronoun, and since Latin was a more prestigious language, prescriptivists thought that English should be more like Latin, and 2) When plural pronouns are used certain verbs change form (ie: "he was" vs "they were"). These verbs always change when "they" is used, even when used for an individual. This was an unacceptable inconsistency according to prescriptivists.
The idea that singular 'they' is grammatically incorrect continues to the modern day, although it is not strictly followed in normal speech. Most individuals will use 'they' when referring to an unknown individual without realizing it. In the modern day singular 'they' is often used by the non-binary community as a gender neutral pronoun. They/Them pronouns are typically, but not always, used by those who want to present in a gender neutral way or otherwise don't want to present as masculine or feminine.[14]
| Case | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | They | They went to the store. |
| Accusative | Them | I met them today. |
| Pronominal Possessive | Their | They walked their dog today. |
| Predicative Possessive | Theirs | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow theirs. |
| Reflexive | Themself or Themselves | They have to drive themself to school. OR They have to drive themselves to school. |
In English reflexive pronouns either end with -self when singular and -selves when plural. Before the campaign against singular 'they' the word 'themself' was used when referring to an individual, while "themselves" was used for a group. Since the singular form was deemed to be "incorrect" the word themself is often considered to not be a word, with the correct version being themselves. Currently, either themself or themselves may be used when using singular 'they'.[15]
It/Its
It/its pronouns are traditionally used for inanimate objects, and occasionally for animals or babies where one's gender is undeterminable. Some use it/its pronouns as a gender neutral pronoun, however 'it' tends to be regarded as a pronoun that should not be used by default on humans, otherwise it may be taken as degrading.[11]
It/its pronouns are often debated as to whether they should be considered an exipronoun or a neopronoun, as they are not typically used for humans, but still commonly used for other non-human entities such as objects and/or animals.[8]
| Case | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | It | It went to the store. |
| Accusative | It | I met it today. |
| Pronominal Possessive | Its | It walked its dog today. |
| Predicative Possessive | Its | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow its. |
| Reflexive | Itself | It has to drive itself to school. |
One/Ones
One/ones pronouns are the formal indefinite third-person pronoun. It is sometimes called a fourth-person pronoun, although fourth-person pronouns do not technically exist in English. It is used to refer to a hypothetical individual or to everyone in general. It is typically only used in formal writing. Occasionally, individuals use one/ones pronouns as a gender neutral pronoun.[16]
The usage of one/ones pronouns by someone is occasionally considered an example of neopronouns because, despite being a traditional and existing pronoun in English, it is not the traditional usage of the pronoun when used for a specific individual.
| Case | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | One | One went to the store. |
| Accusative | One | I met one today. |
| Pronominal Possessive | One's | One walked one's dog today. |
| Predicative Possessive | One's | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow one's. |
| Reflexive | Oneself | One has to drive oneself to school. |
Neopronouns
Neopronouns are any set of singular third-person pronouns that are not officially recognized in the language they are used in.[5][6]
Some individuals prefer using neopronouns as an alternative gender-neutral pronoun set. This could be:
- because they want to avoid singular 'they' being confused with plural 'they',
- because neopronouns express something about them or their gender (like xenogenders),
- or because they feel more comfortable using neopronouns over any of the standard pronoun options.
There have been many instances of individuals creating new pronouns to refer to a singular gender-neutral individual over the past 200 years. Particularly, several neopronouns showed up in the mid-late 20th century. Many new neopronouns were created in the age of the internet, as the existence of non-binary individuals became more widely known.[5] While there is no way to list all possible neopronouns, there are notably popular examples. The following examples are listed in order of oldest to newest.
Thon
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Thon | Thon went to the store. | /ðɑn/ |
| Accusative | Thon | I met thon today. | /ðɑn/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Thons | Thon walked thon's dog today. | /ðɑnz/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Thon's | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow thon's. | /ðɑnz/ |
| Reflexive | Thonself | Thon has to drive thonself to school. | /ðɑnsɛlf/ |
One of the first known instances of someone purposely creating a new gender-neutral pronoun set in English is that of American composer Charles Crozat Converse, who proposed the pronoun set thon/thons/thonself in 1858.[17] It was based on a contraction of "that one." The thon pronoun was included in some dictionaries such as Webster's International Dictionary (1910), Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary (1913), and Webster's Second International (1959). The pronouns are not widely used in the present day. In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.25% individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as thon.[18]
E
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | E | E went to the store. | /i/ |
| Accusative | Em | I met em today. | /ɛm/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Es | E walked es dog today. | /iz/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Ems | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow ems. | /ɛmz/ |
| Reflexive | Emself | E has to drive emself to school. | /ɛmsɛlf/ |
There are several very similar sets of pronouns with the nominative form e which have been independently proposed over the last hundred years. The earliest known example may be created in 1890 by James Rogers of Crestview, Florida.[19] It was made in response to the thon set, and was derived from the he and them pronoun sets. This version does not have a recorded predicative possessive or reflexive form.
In 1977, a version in which all forms starts with capital letters was independently created by psychologist Donald G. MacKay of the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1989 an identical version it was independently created by Victor J. Stone, Professor of Law. In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.1% of individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as e.[18]
Ae
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ae | Ae went to the store. | /ei/ |
| Accusative | Aer | I met aer today. | /ɛɹ/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Aer | Ae walked aer dog today. | /ɛɹ/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Aers | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow aers. | /ɛɹz/ |
| Reflexive | Aerself | Ae has to drive aerself to school. | /ɛɹsɛlf/ |
In his 1920 novel, A Voyage to Arcturus, David Lindsay invented the ae pronoun set for an alien race, which were born from air and of a third sex. These pronouns are still somewhat well known on the internet.[20] In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.7% of individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as ae.[18]
Co
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Co | Co went to the store. | /ko/ |
| Accusative | Co | I met co today. | /ko/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Cos | Co walked cos dog today. | /koz/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Cos | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow cos. | /koz/ |
| Reflexive | Coself | Co has to drive coself to school. | /kosɛlf/ |
Co was coined as a possible neutral pronoun by Mary Orovan in an eight-page pamphlet called Humanizing English, which was first published in 1970. The pronoun 'co' was derived from the Indo-European *ko.[21][14]
Ve
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ve/Vi | Ve/Vi went to the store. | /vi/ |
| Accusative | Ver/Vir | I met ver/vir today. | /vəɹ/, /viɹ/ † |
| Pronominal Possessive | Vis | Ve walked vis dog today. | /viz/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Vers/Virs | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow vers/virs. | /vəɹz/, /viɹz/ † |
| Reflexive | Verself/Virself | Ve has to drive verself/virself to school. | /vəɹsɛlf/, /viɹsɛlf/ † |
†Both spellings can be pronounced either way.
The ve pronoun set was created sometime in the early 1970s. It is unclear who originally invented this pronoun set or when, and it is possible that more than one individual created it independently. The most well known usage of ve comes from Greg Egan, who used it in his books Distress (1995) and Diaspora (1998).[22] Egan is sometimes credited with having created these pronouns, but this does not appear to be the case, and he has never claimed to have done so. An earlier example is in the novel The Bone People (1984) by Keri Hulme.[23] The earliest known example of ve comes from the 1970 May issue of Everywoman.[19] This set is nearly-identical but is incomplete. It included ve/vir/vis, with no predicative possessive and reflexive recorded. In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.2% of individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as ve.[18]
Xe
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Xe | Xe went to the store. | /zi/ |
| Accusative | Xem | I met xem today. | /zɛm/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Xyr | Xe walked xyr dog today. | /ziɹ/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Xyrs | If I need a phone, my friend will let me borrow xyrs. | /ziɹz/ |
| Reflexive | Xemself | Xe has to drive xemself to school. | /zɛmsɛlf/ |
This pronoun set appears to have been first coined by Don Rickter in an issue of Unitarian Universalist published in May 1973. This coining is affirmed by Mario Pei, who gave Rickter credit in his 1978 book Weasel Words.[24] This set has a large amount of variations; alternate versions include:
- Nominative: Xhe, xey
- Accusative: Xer, xim, xym
- Pronominal possessive: Xir, xis, xer, or xeir
- Predicative possessive: Xirs, xis, xers, or xeirs
- Reflexive: Xirself, xyrself, ximself, xymself, or xerself
In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.2% of individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as xe.[18]
Per (person pronouns)
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Per or Person | Per/person went to the store. | /pəɹ/ |
| Accusative | Per | I met per today. | /pəɹ/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Per | Per walked per dog today. | /pəɹ/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Pers | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow pers. | /pəɹz/ |
| Reflexive | Perself | Per has to drive perself to school. | /pəɹsɛlf/ |
Known as 'person pronouns', per/per are meant to be used for an individual of any gender. John Clark created person pronouns in a 1972 issue of the Newsletter of the American Anthropological Association.[25] These pronouns were notably used in the 1976 novel Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.1% of individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as per.[18]
Per pronouns could be considered the first instance of nounself pronouns.
Ey (Elverson pronouns)
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ey | Ey went to the store. | /eɪ/ |
| Accusative | Em | I met em today. | /ɛm/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Eir | Ey walked eir dog today. | /ɛɹ/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Eirs | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow eirs. | /ɛɹz/ |
| Reflexive | Emself | Ey has to drive emself to school. | /ɛmsɛlf/ |
The Elverson pronouns were created by Christine M. Elverson of Skokie, Illinois, to win a contest to create an alternative to the singular they in 1975. They were formed by dropping the first two letters from they and its inflections.[26]
It is unclear what sort of lexical agreement these pronouns would take. The pronouns can only be used as singular pronouns, so they could presumably be conjugated the same way as other singular pronoun sets (ie: "Ey was eating.") However, since these pronouns were based on the they set, it may feel more natural for English speakers to say "Ey were eating." It is unclear which conjugation was intended, so either can be used. Most other neopronouns based on 'e' or 'ey' face the same problem. In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.1% of individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as ey.[18]
Hu (humanist pronouns)
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Hu | Hu went to the store. | /hju/† |
| Accusative | Hum | I met hum today. | /hjum/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Hus | Hu walked hus dog today. | /hjuz/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Hus | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow hus. | /hjuz/ |
| Reflexive | Huself | Hu has to drive huself to school. | /hjusɛlf/ |
†Pronunciation is assumed to match that in 'human' both for the theme and to distinguish it from the word 'who.'
Also known as "humanist pronouns," this set was created by Sasha Newborn in 1982, in a college humanities text. They are obviously based on the word human.[27]
E (Spivak pronouns)
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | E | E went to the store. | /i/ |
| Accusative | Em | I met em today. | /ɛm/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Eir | E walked eir dog today. | /ɛɹ/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Eirs | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow eirs. | /ɛɹz/ |
| Reflexive | Emself | E has to drive emself to school. | /ɛmsɛlf/ |
The 'Spivak pronouns' were created in 1990 by Michael Spivak. They were used in his manual The Joy of TeX so that no one in his examples had a specified gender. The pronouns became somewhat well-known on the internet because they were built into the popular multi-user chat LambdaMOO in 1991. The pronouns then became a common feature of other multi-user chats made throughout the 1990s.[28] In the 2022 Gender Census, 0.1% of individuals stated that they were happy to be referred to as e.[18]
Ze
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ze | Ze went to the store. | /zi/ |
| Accusative | Zir | I met zir today. | /zəɹ/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Zir | Ze walked zir dog today. | /zəɹ/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Zirs | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow zirs. | /zəɹz/ |
| Reflexive | Zirself | Ze has to drive zirself to school. | /zəɹsɛlf/ |
Similar to the xe pronoun set, there are several different versions of this pronoun set. Ze is also pronounced the same way as xe. The first known case of ze being used is in 1997, by Richard Creel, who proposed ze/zer/mer.[29]
Fae
| Case | Pronoun | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Fae | Fae went to the store. | /feɪ/ |
| Accusative | Faer | I met faer today. | /fɛɹ/ |
| Pronominal Possessive | Faer | Fae walked faer dog today. | /fɛɹ/ |
| Predicative Possessive | Faers | If I need a phone my friend will let me borrow faers. | /fɛɹz/ |
| Reflexive | Faerself | Fae has to drive faerself to school. | /fɛɹsɛlf/ |
The fae pronouns are a set of neopronouns created by Tumblr user Eidolan in 2013, though it may have been created independently by someone else earlier.[30]
Alternating Pronouns
Instead of using an alternative or gender-neutral pronoun set, some individuals prefer an alternation between the binary-gendered sets. For example: "When he does not get a haircut, her hair grows long." Alternating pronouns are used in some legal documents to make them gender-inclusive.
No Pronouns/Pronoun Dropping
Also called non-pronouns, null pronouns, or pronounless. Some individuals prefer not to be referred to by third-person pronouns of any kind. Instead of using pronouns, an individual may be referred to by name, an epithet, or the sentence can be rephrased to omit pronouns, typically by using the passive voice.
Nounself Pronouns
Nounself pronouns are type of neopronoun that are derived from an existing word. They are commonly, but not always, used by xenic individuals who may want to use a pronoun set that corresponds with their xenogender, or some other aspect of themself. For example, someone who is catgender may use nya/nyan pronouns.
Emojiself Pronouns
Emojiself pronouns are a subcategory of nounself pronouns, which are pronouns that, instead of using letters, utilize emojis (eg. 💫/💫's/💫self). These pronouns are not intended to be pronounced out loud and are only intended for online communication. In spoken conversation one may or may not use pronouns that are based on the emoji (eg. 💀/💀s skull/skulls).
Nameself Pronouns
Nameself pronouns are a type of neopronoun that derive from an individual's name, or a shortened/altered version of it. It can sometimes be considered a form of pronoun dropping. For example, someone named Samantha may use sam/sams pronouns.
Flags and Symbols
He/Him (mourningmogaicrew)
She/Her (mourningmogaicrew)
They/Them (mourningmogaicrew)
Xe/Xem (mourningmogaicrew)
Ae/Aer (mourningmogaicrew)
Ey/Em (mourningmogaicrew)
Co/Cos (mourningmogaicrew)
Ve/Vir (mourningmogaicrew)
Thon/Thons (mourningmogaicrew)
Per/Pers (mourningmogaicrew)
Fae/Faer (mourningmogaicrew)
Zey/Zem (mourningmogaicrew)
One/Ones (mourningmogaicrew)
Hu/Hum (mourningmogaicrew)
E/Em (mourningmogaicrew)
Resources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kramer, Lindsay. "What Are Pronouns? Definitions and Examples". Grammarly Blog, 16 Sep, 2022, https://www.grammarly.com/blog/pronouns/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAxbefBhDfARIsAL4XLRqPU1sbv-eD8rhHEiHjyHPjS10qf_I2GQLrEKAICV67_7KbBzr6i1saAi_ZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds.
- ↑ "Gender Pronouns". Springfield College, https://springfield.edu/gender-pronouns#:~:text=Gendered%20pronouns%20specifically%20reference%20someone's,outside%20of%20a%20gender%20binary.. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ "misgender". Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misgender. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ Olsen, Billie. "Why Pronouns Don’t Always Equate to Gender". LGBTQ and All, https://www.lgbtqandall.com/why-pronouns-dont-always-equate-to-gender/. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Marcus, Ezra. "A Guide to Neopronouns". The New York Times, 18 Sep, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/style/neopronouns-nonbinary-explainer.html.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 inscrutable. "WHAT ARE NEOPRONOUNS?". NON CONVENTIONAL PRONOUNS GUIDE, https://neopronounss.carrd.co/#what. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ arco-pluris. "Exipronouns — “standard” pronouns (she/he/they/it); the opposite of neopronouns.". Tumblr, 1 Jul, 2020, https://arco-pluris.tumblr.com/post/622429483404787712/anicrossic-exipronouns-standard-pronouns.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "DEFINITIONS". Nounself, https://nounself.carrd.co/#definitions. Accessed on 29 Nov, 2023.
- ↑ Zakuro51. "Is there a word for the opposite of neopronouns?". Reddit, 15 Mar, 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/neopronouns/comments/teaufl/is_there_a_word_for_the_opposite_of_neopronouns/.
- ↑ "A brief history of gender neutral pronouns". BBC News, 22 Sep, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-49754930.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "Gender Pronouns". Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Plus (LGBTQ+) Resource Center, https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ DEBARON@ILLINOIS.EDU. "A Brief History of Singular 'they'". The Web of Language, 30 Jul, 2018, https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/677177#:~:text=The%20Oxford%20English%20Dictionary%20traces,Hastely%20hi%C8%9Ded%20eche%20.%20.%20..
- ↑ Wales, K. Katie, W. Personal Pronouns in Present-Day English. Cambridge University Press, 1996. 9780521471022, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=d68sHzfpWVMC.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Waters, Michael. "Where Gender-Neutral Pronouns Come From". The Atlantic, 4 Jun, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/06/gender-neutral-pronouns-arent-new/619092/.
- ↑ "Legistics - Themself or Themselves?". Government of Canada, 29 Aug, 2022, https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/legis-redact/legistics/p1p30.html#:~:text=Use%20themselves%20as%20the%20reflexive,the%20sentence%20and%20avoid%20themself..
- ↑ "One and one’s". Cambridge Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/one-and-one-s. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ Fred, Barge. "Viewpoints from Involvement -- "Thon"". Dynamic Chiropractic, 14 Aug, 1992, https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=43422.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 Gender Census. "[GC2022] Public spreadsheet of results". Google Sheets, 18 Aug, 2022, https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_LJWSWDkPq_zNXnMgWog3mKSdwab8znjmZTdGDaZWFg/edit#gid=418323441.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "4.2.5. Comprehensive Listing of Neologisms". aetherlumina.com, https://web.archive.org/web/20070310130020/http://aetherlumina.com/gnp/listing.html. Archived on 10 Mar, 2007.
- ↑ neopronounsmybeloved. "Ae/Aer History". Tumblr, 7 Jul, 2021, https://neopronounsmybelovaed.tumblr.com/post/656110987143004160/aeaer-history.
- ↑ Orovan, Mary. "Humanizing English". Veteran Feminists of America, 1970, http://web.archive.org/web/20211129021858/https://www.veteranfeministsofamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/humanizing-english.pdf.
- ↑ "ve, vis, ver". urticator, http://www.urticator.net/essay/0/30.html. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ Outis. "Feminist Science Fiction Fans discussion". GoodReads, 20 Nov, 2013, https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1580481-gender-neutral-characters-and-pronouns.
- ↑ Pei, M. Weasel Words: The Art of Saying what You Don't Mean. Harper & Row, 1978. ISBN: 9780060133429. LCCN: 76005524, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=j9RZAAAAMAAJ.
- ↑ Dawson, Theo. "“Per” vs. “their”—It’s time to take a stand". Medium, 2 Oct, 2022, https://theo-dawson.medium.com/per-vs-their-ive-finally-taken-a-stand-63d0b2e6ae98.
- ↑ Black, Judie. "Ey has a word for it". Chicago Tribune. p. 12., published in Guest Blogger. 1975. "The Rise of "Transgender"". The Bilerico Project.
- ↑ Shivery, Jake. "Why Hu would be a nice word to have.". Hu (hyü), 2005, http://www.hupronoun.org/.
- ↑ "Spivak pronoun". Academic Kids, https://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Spivak_pronoun. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ "Organized by Pronoun". Gender Neutral Pronoun Blog, https://genderneutralpronoun.wordpress.com/links/organized-by-pronoun/#:~:text=Ze%2C%20Zer%2C%20Mer%3A%20Richard,he%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9Cshe.%E2%80%9D. Accessed on 17 Feb, 2023.
- ↑ Eidolan. "PRONOUNS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER". Tumblr, 21 Dec, 2013, http://web.archive.org/web/20210228185937/https://heterosexualisnotadefault.tumblr.com/post/635251444970291201/pronouns-i-have-encountered-in-no-particular-order.
