#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.

[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 )

[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

[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

[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

[foryouthegays]

now heres an interesting addition to my quest to find all old pronouns.

so, I bought a book. exciting, right? that book is the second edition of the merriam webster unabridged dictionary, printed from 1934 to 1961. this thing is fucking massive, its 11′ by 8.5′ by 4.5′ and weighs so much. i paid like 40 dollars for it. Anyway, i got this book because of this quote, on the merriam websters dictionary page: 'Thon', short for "that one," appeared in our Unabridged dictionary from 1934-1961. Though the word was dropped for lack of use, other gender-neutral pronouns—'they', 'their', and 'them'—remain.*

This is cool, right? the article includes a picture of the entry, but that isn’t good enough for me, i need the book itself.

so, it came. guess whats missing?

thats right, the word i bought it for. this is super cool, to be honest. as frustrating as it is to still not have a physical copy of this entry, the exclusion of the word from this dictionary is Fascinating. why is it excluded?

i cant tell what year this specific dictionary is from, but i know it isnt an ‘early addition,’ as (apparently) the word Dord was in early editions but edited out of late prints because it was a mistake. Plus, the website says it was in every second edition dictionary from 1934-1961, which was all of them, so I would assume they all have thon, but obviously, they do not.

My only theories are that it is specifically only in the unabridged dictionary, whereas I have the new universal deluxe edition, however, i cant really see this being the case? it is a collection of all of their second edition books, as far as I know? does anyone have any ideas for this missing word? 

*the article is “The History of 'Thon', the Forgotten Gender-Neutral Pronoun”