#neopronoun history

[rjalker]

still haven't recovered from seeing people who claim to be progressive and claim to love trans people and claim to not be radfems saying that Leslie Feinberg was a dangerous male invader of lesbian spaces.

[neopronoun-user-culture-is]

not a neo pronoun culture ask but i hope that's not a problem

I just have a question. Do you maybe know the history of neopronouns? Like, where they started?

Of course, I can give you some neopronoun history!

The word "neopronoun" itself became common usage around the mid 80s to early 90s. It adds the prefix "neo" meaning "new" to the word pronoun.

The word itself is fairly recent, but that doesn't mean there weren't pronouns created that we would now call neopronouns before then.

Many early neopronouns were pushed for by feminists who wanted a gender neutral pronoun for gender neutral language in law. Or created by linguists who wanted an easier way to refer to a person or groups of indeterminate gender.

The earliest recorded usage of neopronouns dates back to 1789 when William H Marshal recorded the use of "ou" as a pronoun.

Thon/thons is also an early neopronoun, coined by Charles Crozat Converse in 1858. It was recognized by Webster's Second New International Dictionary in 1934 and remained in the dictionary until 1961.

Most other common neopronouns today (ae/aer, ze/zir, xe/xem) were coined in the 20th century. The late 20th century is when they started to become used as we use them now, pronouns used mostly by trans and nonbinary people.

In the 2010s neopronouns became popular online (mostly on tumblr) and people started coining more and more sets (this is when most of the popular nounself pronouns were created). This led people to wrongly believe neopronouns were invented in the 2010s because they had never heard of them before.

That's a brief history! And if you really think about it, at some point every pronoun was a neopronoun. We use language to create words to describe us, which is the epitome of what neopronouns are!

[thebiggestlgbtqiaplusarchive]

Sorry for not updating in a bit, but I just got an amazing idea for queer history month (October) or maybe right after October. Where ill try to make a Google slide show/ Google doc about queer history, history that will also be including neo/xenopronouns and neo/xenogenders.

I'll also be giving updates about how the project is going in a thread here:

[neopronounhaven]

Happy 48th anniversary of this ey/em/eirs news article, as of Aug 23, 2023!

“Eir sentences would sound smoother since ey wouldn't clutter them with the old sexist pronouns. And if ey should trip up in the new usage, ey would only have emself to blame.”

~ Judie Black, August 23 1975, “Ey has a word for it,” in the Chicago Tribune, 1, page 12.

[burningvelvet]

conservatives are always saying “the liberals are getting out of hand these days! why can’t we go back to the time when everyone was normal?!” as if over two centuries ago circa. 1820 percy shelley wasn’t an outspoken polyamorous vegan anti-fascist chronically ill atheist spiritualist poet with weird hair and funky blouses and 10 mental illnesses buried in financial debt who lived in unofficial exile with his goth bisexual feminist wife who pioneered science fiction who ran around with him threatening old people by saying they wanted to decapitate the king

[anarcho-catboyism]

Labels are made up so it doesn't matter how many times you shit yourself over people you don't like identifying as lesbians it's not going to do anything. Labels and definitions and fucking words are made up and change everyday, linguistics is fake, seethe and mald and piss your pants more about it

[sillybillytime]

Because I saw people complaining about neopronouns again I feel the need to state that neopronouns are old. One of the first ones we have record of is thon/thons pronouns, introduced in the mid 1800s as a gender neutral single person pronoun.

Before they/them became the nonbinary pronoun, nonbinary people would use neopronouns! I know several nonbinary elders, some used ey/em, ze/hir, and many more!

We repeat this song and dance every few years. Cis people will not love you because you hate other trans people. Read your history, get involved in the community, fight for our rights.

[hjartasalt]

Every time I see someone making fun of neopronouns I can't help but think they aren't living in the real world. Someone using xe/xyr pronouns isn't the issue, it's these fake scenarios where you pretend to be victimised by it that are.

[whatacreepything]

tiktok gays when they go in public and see gay people being gay instead of discussing the latest microlabel discourse that was posted from an account called bobthebuildersbignaturals

[forest-wolfie]

This is out of the blue in terms of what I post usually but this is something personal I feel the need to express. I am deeply upset by the amount of queer people who simply will just WILLINGLY misgender a trans person simply because they use neopronouns or use pronouns that are not conventional he/she language.

I have seen so many accuse us of bringing the queer movement down when it is YOU bringing the movement down because you want to misgender, harass, and speak over us trying to tell you we do no harm. Every fucking bigot out there sees us all as faggots no matter what pronouns you use. If they see any visibly queer person a bigot can and will get violent no matter WHAT they think you are. Identity and pronouns doesn't fucking matter, what matters is creating a community where all of us are safe and feel like we belong.

Neopronouns are not hard to learn and I don't want o hear that excuse either. They use the same grammar structure as they/them pronouns, simple as. Learn a person's pronouns or don't be their fucking friend. Yes I sound aggressive and angry because I am. I am mad at the fellow queer people othering those who still belong there. It's infuriating. Take us seriously, keep us safe. We do not deserve harm just because you think the sounds we use to refer to ourselves don't make you comfortable. We are in this fight together regardless if you like us or not.

[moonimunchkin]

NOT MY MEME!!

I so badly want mutuals and friends grrr pls pls pls dm me if you think i'm cool and r under 16 :3 ( pssst my strawpage is in my pinned )

[rjalker]

Neopronoun flags for each category and explanations for what they mean!

[Plain text: Neopronoun flags for each category and explanations for what they mean!]

All flags here except the neopronoun flag were created by me today, November 28th, 2022!

They are all public domain, meaning you can use them for literally anything you want, no credit necessary, though I will ask that you provide image descriptions whenever possible, and direct people to an basic (not an emoji or art or anything) version of the flag whenever possible!

If you want to change the brightness or contrast, you are welcome to! I did my best to make them accessible, but I'm only nonhuman, so they won't be perfect for everyone!

You can find the Super HD (8000x6410 pixels because these are the templates I use for Redbubble designs) Versions of these images here on the web archive to download and save:

"https://archive.org/details/Neopronouns-categories-flags-and-explanations"

Neopronouns

[Plain text: Neopronouns]

[ID: The neopronouns flag, with stripes of pastel green, cyan, white, pale yellow, and orange. This is followed by another version of the neopronouns flag, now with black text added over top that reads: "Neopronouns (neo + pronouns!) are any pronouns not in 'mainstream' use in the language being spoken! Some examples are: star/stars, ze/hir, it/its, ae/aer, xey/xem, rot/rots, they/them, sky/skys, and ve/ver. End ID.]

Neopronouns is the umbrella term under which all of the following terms reside as more specific categories!

All the following flags keep the five stripe layout as above, with the white stripe remaining in the center to represent community, solidarity, and commonality!

===

Nounself pronouns

[Plain text: Nounself pronouns]

[ID: The nounself pronouns flag, with stripes of: orange, red, white, sky blue, and purple.

This is followed by the same flag, now with black text that reads:

"Nounself pronouns (noun + self + pronouns!) are pronouns like sun/suns/sunself, or wa/wave/waves/waveself.

If the pronoun set is based heavily on existing words, they're nounself pronouns!"

End ID.]

The colors were chosen to be colorful and fun!

Nameself pronouns

[Plain text: Nameself pronouns]

[ID: The nameself pronouns flag, with stripes of grey, sky blue, white, black, and berry red.

The first version is blank, and the second reads:

"Nameself pronouns (Name + self + pronouns!) are when someone's name replaces all pronouns! Like: 'That's John! John uses nameself pronouns, so instead of he, she, or they, you'll just call John 'John'. That's John, John's over there, John's trying to get back to John's home planet.' If the pronouns are the person's name, they're nameself pronouns!"

End ID.]

Colors were chosen because I associate them with Farscape, and I decided John Crichton uses nameself pronouns...before I even knew those were a thing! Lol.

===

Ectopronouns

[Plain text: Ectopronouns]

[ID: The ectopronouns flag, with stripes of: purple, dark blue, white, green, and yellow. This is followed by the same flag, now with text over it that reads: "Ectopronouns (ecto + pronouns) are pronouns like: it/its/itself, or ŝi/ŝin/ŝia. Pronouns that exist, but aren't normally used for people in the language being spoken, are ectopronouns!". End ID.]

The colors were chosen because if you invert the flag, it'll be upside down with a black stripe in the center, which I thought fit the theme pretty well! They/them pronouns also fall into this category of neopronouns, since it's still relatively new for them to be used for singular people rather than groups!

The pronouns ŝi/ŝin/ŝia are from Esperanto!

===

Novapronouns

[Plain text: Novapronouns]

[ID: The novapronouns flag, with stripes of berry purple, dark magenta, white, very dark violet, and purple. This is followed by the same flag, now with text over top of it that reads: "Novapronouns (nova + pronouns!) are pronouns like ae/aer/aerself or ze/hir/(hirs)/hirself! Any set of pronouns not based heavily on existing words are novapronouns!" End ID.]

The colors were chosen because I love purple, and associate it with space!

===

Supernova pronouns

[Plain text: Supernova pronouns]

[ID: The supernova pronouns flag, with stripes of: gold, copper, white, silver, and dark grey. This is followed by the same flag, now with text over it that reads: "Supernova pronouns (supernova + pronouns!) are pronouns like: xiy/rik/ix/sirav ('sirav' replaces the usual _-self ending), or aix/(aed)/arix/aiv/aixelf ('aed' replaces contractions: instead of 'aix's going too', you say, 'aed going too'). If the pronouns use a different gramatical structure than usual, in whole or in part, they're Supernova pronouns!

The colors were chosen based on metals, which can only form inside a supernova! Gold, copper, silver, and iron!

Supernova pronouns can also be used as one long word, "supernovapronouns"! I just figured I'd put a space in there to make it easier to read and write!

I will be making pronoun pins and icons with these flags as backgrounds once I'm done my current project, so if you want to see those (or the other pronoun pins and icons I make) check out @custom-pronoun-pins!

[neopronoun-user-culture-is]

Neopronouns culture is consantly having people ask what Xe/Xem is and than going into a ramble that the first Neo that was used in 1789, and that the first neos where Thon witch was a mix of the words that and one!

And then just have the People go “well it’s not valid”

Neopronoun user culture

[anarchatranny-almanac]

Epicine & Neopronouns That Predate 1999

This list is very long, with many similar pronouns! Contrary to popular belief, neopronouns aren't that new, and were never that rare. A noticable potrion of this list contains neopronouns 100 or more years old, and even more that are 50+ years old!

The vast majority pronouns in this post are sourced from Aether Lumina. Some pronouns were left off this list, so if you want to dig deeper, check the page out!

And we're not kidding--the list under the cut is LONG!

Non-Alphabetical

[name]/[name]/[name]s/[name]s/[name]self [replace [name] with person’s name, ie Alex would be Alex/Alexs]

*e, h*, h*s, h*s, h*self (splat pronouns, c.1990s) [source] [source2]

þe/þim/þir/þirs/þimself (þ is pronouned th & þe rhymes with he, 1978) [source] [source2]

3e/3im/3er/3ers/3imself (3 is pronounced z &3e sounds like zee, 1995) [source]

ðe (conjugation unknown, 1995) [source]

A-G

a/a/as/as/aself (from Middle english, 1789) [source] [source2]

ae/aer/aer/aers/aerself (1920) [origin/source]

ala/alum/ales/ales/alumself (derived from Latin and Hawai'ian, 1989) [source] [source2]

che/chim/chis/chis/chimself (1951) [source]

co/co/cos/cos/coself (1970) [source]

e/em/eir/eirs/emself

E/Em/E's/E's/E'sself (c.1977) [source]

e/em/es/es/esself or emself (1878 and 1890) [source]

E/Ir/Ir/Irs/Irself (1982) [source]

e/rim/ris/ris/risself (1977) [source]

em/em/ems/ems/emsself (1977) [source]

en/ar/es/es/esself (1974) [source]

en/en/en/ens/enself (1868) [source]

er/er/ers/ers/erself (1863) [source]

et/et/ets/ets/etself (1979) [source]

ey/em/eir/eirs/eirself (Elverson pronouns) [source]

fm/fm/fms/fms/fmself (1972) [source]

ghach (Klingon, conjugation unknown, 1992) [source]

H

ha/hem/hez/hez/hezself (1927) [source]

han/han/hans/hans/hanself (1868) [source]

hann/hann/hanns/hanns/hannself (1984) [source]

he/him/his/his/himself (generic; not actually a neopronoun)

he'er/him'er/his'er/his'er's/his'er'self (1912) [source]

heesh/heesh/heeshs/heeshs/heeshself (c.1940) [source]

heesh/herm/hiser/hisers/hermself (1978) [source]

heesh/himer/hiser/hisers/hiserself (1934) [source]

hem/hem/hes/hes/hesself (1974) [source]

heor/himor/hisor/hisor/himorself (1912) [source]

her'n/her'n/her'ns/her'ns/her'nself (1935) [source]

herm/herm/herm/herms/hermself (1985) [source]

hes/hem/hir/hirs/hirself (1935) [source]

hes/hes/hes/hes/hesself (1984) [source]

hesh/himmer/hizzer/hizzers/hizzerself (1927) [source]

hesh/hiser/himer/himer/hermself (1974) [source]

heshe/hem/hes/hes/hemself (1981) [source]

hey/heir/heir/heirs/heirself (1979) [source]

hi/hem/hes/hes/hesself (1884) [source]

hir/hirem/hires/hires/hirself (1979) [source]

h'orsh'it (1975--joke pronoun but it rocks) [source]

ho/hom/hos/hos/homself (1976--not a joke pronoun but prone to jokes) [source]

hor/hor/hors/hors/horself (1890) [source]

hse/hse/hses/hses/hseself (1945) [source]

hu/hum/hus/hus/huself (1982) [source]

hymer/hymer/hyser/hysers/hyserself (1884) [source]

I-P

id/idre/ids/ids/idself (1989) [source]

ip/ip/ips/ips/ipsself (1884) [source]

ir/im/iro/iros/iroself (1888) [source]

kai/kaim/kais/kais/kaiself (1998) [source]

kin/kin/kins/kins/kinself (1969) [source]

le/lem/les/les/lesself (borrowed from French, 1884) [source]

le/lim/lis/lis/limself (1884) [source]

na/na/nan/nans/nanself (1973) [origin/source] [source2] [source3]

ne/nem/nir/nirs/nemself

ne/nim/nis/nis/nimself (c.1850) [source]

on/on/ons/ons/onsself (1927?) [source]

one/one/ones/ones/oneself (1770) [source]

per/per/pers/pers/perself or personself (1972) [origin-ish/source] [source]

phe/per/per/pers/perself (1998) [source]

po/xe/jhe/jhes/jheself (c.1997) [source]

S-T

s/he / him/er / his/her / his/ers / him/erself (1973) [source]

se/hir/hir/hirs/hirself (1977?) [source]

se/sem/ses/ses/sesself (1990) [source]

she/herim/heris/heris/herisself (1970) [source] [source2]

she/herm/herm/herms/hermself (1976) [source]

SHe/Hir/Hir/Hirs/Hirself (1997 or earlier) [source]

shem/hem/hes/hes/hesself (1974) [source]

shem/herm/herm/herms/hermself (1973) [source]

sheorhe/herorhim/herorhis/hersorhis/herorhimself (1974) [source]

shey/shem/sheir/sheirs/sheirself or shemself (1982 & 1979) [source] [source2]

sie/hir/hir/hirs/hirself (borrowed from German, pre-2001) [source]

soloc/sebita/seniri/siculis/sulago (1998) [source]

su/su/sus/sus/suself (borrowed from Spanish, 1921) [source]

ta/ta/tas/tas/tasself (borrowed from Mandarin Chinese, 1971) [source]

tey/tem/ter/ters/temself (1971) [source]

tey/tem/term/terms/termself (1972) [source]

thir/thim/thiro/thiros/thiroselves (plural form of ir/im, 1888) [source]

thon/thon/thon/thons/thonself (allegedly 1858, definitely existed since or before 1884) [source] [source2]

U-Z

uh/uh/uhs/uhs/uhself (1975) [source]

um/um/ums/ums/umself (1877, 1879) [source]

un/un/uns/uns/unself (1868) [source]

ve/ver/vis/vis/verself (1995) [source]

ve/vim/vis/vis/visself (1974) [source]

ve/vir/vis/vis/visself (1970) [source]

xe/xem/xyr/xyrs/xemself

z/z/z/z/zself (1972) [source]

ze/zim/zee/zees/zeeself (1972) [source]

ze/hir/hir/hirs/hirself (1996) [source]

ze/zir/zir/zirs/zirself

[elfwreck]

Grammar Is the New Oppression - 1972 Article

This is from Gay Liberator magazine/newspaper, issue 17, April 1972. It's proposing "co" as a gender-neutral pronoun.

Full transcript under the readmore.

the grammar of oppression

by JOSEPH RAPHAEL

Our language has always reflected our social attitudes, and since women have been oppressed through the ages, this oppression would naturally show up in the way we speak and write. I have found myself guilty of keeping oppression alive by using the generic he. So often I would use he when I meant he or she and use his for his or her as well as him for him or her.

Having met some fine Lesbians in our movement and other women who have felt acutely oppressed, I realize now that I have offended these people unwittingly by using the generic he. We can all stop this business of oppression — in our language, at least — if we use a pronoun which has recently appeared on the scene.

This new pronoun may have been suggested by a member of Women's Liberation or even.by an academic scholar who happens to be socially aware. Whoever suggested it originally is a trivial matter; the fact that someone did ·is highly important because the indeterminate pronoun answers a social and linguistic need. I therefore intend to use the pronoun, co, whenever it is called for. Its most progressive feature is that it doesn't decline (or change forms) with each case. Perhaps we need a few examp les to see how the new pronoun is used. Formerly we would say: A human can succeed if he works hard. But this is obviously oppressive because it fails to account for the fact that some humans are female. A traditionalist would argue that co meant to say: A human can succeed if he or she works hard. But this is also oppressive because he has been allowed to come before she and putting she before he would not solve the problem (although it might compensate for centuries of linguistic abuse).

However, the progressive use of the indeterminate pronoun quickly resolves the problem: A human can succeed if co works hard. I should remind those who feel compelled to use him/her or her/him that these compound forms are not only socially repugnant, they are also aesthetically disgusting. In combination they offend the eye and off-balance the sentence as well, weighing it down with extra words. Hopefully, then, we will all make a conscious effort to improve both our language and our social attitudes.

[Chart; may not show up correctly on mobile]

CASE      NEUTER FEM.     MASC.   INDET. Subjective           it             she        he             co Possessive          its           her         his            co(s) Objective            it             her         him          co Intensive             itself      herself  himself coself

The new grammar may raise some problems, but I trust they are minor ones. For instance, co is the only pronoun beginning with a hard sound (K), which could make it harder to pronounce in rapid speech: But there is a compensating feature. Note that there is an alternative form in the possessive case. You would insert an s when co precedes a vowel sound, as in: Each member should pay cos own dues. This would correspond to the dual form of a and an. Some of you may be strict followers of tradition and resent the intrusion of a rebel form into your speech. But linguists — those who study the language — are more practical in their outlook. They know that all new forms of speech are, in a sense, rebellious. Tradition has always died in language when it has no functional use. That is why all the archaic spellings (as in night or although, in which we see the remnants of sounds no longer pronounced) will sooner or later be abandoned.

Finally, let me say that it is the people using a language who have always determined its form. If everyone wanted to use ain't, then ain't would gain respectful usage. The same applies to any other word or sound. Language belongs to the people and, as such, only the people can change it. I am here reminded of Moliere's statement, 'Grammar knows how to control even kings.'

[fleeglefazbeagle]

Just a random picture I made back in May of this year.(Warning for fat SH Tails from the OG video, particularly for the nipples.)

/srs/pos/gen