#queer language

[queerslurheritageposts]

okay so I added this to the FAQ recently but I wanted to make it its own post bc it's important.

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I'm [insert queer identity] can I call myself a fag/dyke?

yes.

But I'm nervous because [identity related nuance or specifics].

Still yes.

Can I call myself a tranny?

Look, you can call yourself whatever you want if you feel it fits you. I don't actually care that much nor do I have the authority to grant you a faggot pass or whatever. You can do whatever you want forever and you need no one's permission. I love you be free

[adhd-languages]

I have a lot of new followers so just to make it clear I love trans people and neopronouns are cool as fuck and linguistically interesting and it/its pronouns are also awesome and whatever pronouns or language you use to describe yourself is real as fuck.

[variousqueerthings]

Alan Alda: [in conversation about the social evolution of words] which reminds me of the singular "they," which everybody is needing to get a little more familiar with, and more accepting of. You say a very interesting thing about how some of us have trouble accepting that "they went into a store and had a soda," where we're talking about "Mary went into a store and had a soda," you're talking about one person. But originally - or a long time ago - we said "thee" and "thou" and changed it to "you," which is- which was plural, and we don't have a problem with my talking to you and calling you "you," I don't need to call you "thou." And I don't say, "you is," I say "you are."

Valerie Friedland: I think it's really funny because if we look back 300 years - which often we don't do, and that's why we hate the things we say today - we could find the same kinds of complaints about using you as we can find using singular they today. So grammarians like Robert Lowth and Lindley Murray would complain about how it was ungrammatical to use "you" as a singular. and not only that but most people don't realize that "you" is actually objective case and not nominative case, which means in plain English it's not meant to be used for subjects at all, it's supposed to be used for objects.

"Ye" is actually a subject case. So when you had a subject saying "you did this," it would be "ye did this." Not only did we move "you" to the subject position, we also started making what was once plural, singular. and then to top it off we started using plural verbs with it. All of this happened before any of us were born, so all of us do it without any problems today. Singular "they" is essentially the same sort of shift, pronouns have always changed over time - in fact "they" is not the original one in English either, it was brought it in by the Vikings -- so now it's just a matter of getting used to this grammatical shift, because a lot of the time in our grammar in our head we have it linked to being plural. And so it's just a matter of adjusting our knowledge to say " oh it's actually also singular." Now I can use a plural verb and it's going to be like "you," and take a plural verb whether I'm talking about one "they" or two "theys."

[notaplaceofhonour]

Question for nonbinary jumblr:

I’m nonbinary & need a gender neutral alternative to aunt/uncle for my nieces & nephews to call me. I know English has “auncle” & “pibling” but both sound uncomfortable to my ear. My instinct to construct an at least natural-sounding equivalent would be to go back to the etymological root for aunt & uncle to reconstruct a version that isn’t gendered. The problem is, aunt & uncle don’t share an etymological root, so this isn’t really possible.

On the other hand, דודה & דוד in Hebrew clearly do share etymology & seem like they would relatively easy to make gender neutral (besides the obvious that “gender neutral” isn’t how Hebrew typically works lol). However, I’m aware that there’s a project/movement to Queer Hebrew / introduce non-binary gender to it, and I’m curious if anyone knows what would be a way to make דודה / דוד gender-neutral?

[the-mountain-flower]

The word "folx" confuses me.

As a non-binary person, I completely understand the need for new vocab in order to accommodate ppl like me who don't fit gendered language (for example I prefer "Mx." than "Ms." or "Mr.")

What I don't get is why "folx" was added, because "folk/folks" is already gender neutral? I don't understand.

If anyone has an answer plz let me know bc I'm very confused

[cheesy-eyelash]

anyone know any good gender neutral terms in place of girl/boy? specifically that could be used in contexts like "girlfriend" and "boyfriend"?

i was thinking about it and how (imo) "person" or "enby" doesn't really feel the same or have the same energy. like to me they feel as though they would replace man/woman but not boy/girl. and i realised that the reason i think this is, is that "girl" and "boy" are both single syllable words whereas all the seemingly available options for nonbinary people or non specified gender are multiple syllables so they don't fit into the "____friend" format.

the only term i could find was "Xip" however that is something specific to xenogenders and doesn't apply to a wider community.

so does anyone know of, or have any ideas for, single syllable gender neutral terms that could be used in place of "boy/girl" and would fit nicely into the "boy/girlfriend" format and fill that gap in terminology?

[aromantisk-fagforening]

so one thing about language is that not everything is a one-to-one translation.

one thing that's different between Norwegian and English is the term "gender nonconforming" or "gnc" for short. In Norway the term is more exactly "gender-overstepping" or "gender-exceeding", (kjønnsoverskridende). Idk if I can trans' it perfectly (pun intended), but it is more about doing more and stepping out of the box than not doing something.

[transeliot]

Personally, it feels weird and performative to throw an x into an already gender-neutral term just for the hell of it, but want to know what others think.

[beatlesandbards]

no dad I'm not 'lecturing' you about being inclusive of they/them pronouns it's just you've hit /run on ObsessedExcitement.exe bc you said it's grammatically incorrect to use 'they' for a singular and my logophile brain went WHY YES THANK YOU I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR BRAIN FOLLOWS SUBCONSCIOUS RULES YOU DONT KNOW ABOUT so I could tell you why it's so cool that your brain has secretly been training you how to include nonbinary folks in your language ALL ALONG

[queerslurheritageposts]

As a tranny of the tgirl variety who has been previously targeted with the word trap I feel like I may be able to comment on it!

In my experience it's more of like, an offensive and mean thing to say because it's incorrect. Calling a trans girl a trap is like Columbus calling Native Americans Indians. Like, no? I'm not a boy at all and much less one trying to lie to straight men(id sell crypto if I wanted to do that).

And I don't view it as a slur because it's not as reclaimable. I don't call my tgirl friends traps.

But also this is just my perspective :3

thank you for the insight!! the inaccuracy element of it was definitely something that was in the back of my mind but I couldn't really figure out how to phrase it

[myimaginationplain]

white queers are always so damned certain that "true" queerness is for them & them alone. expressions of queerness from Black people (most notably, Black women & those percieved as women) that don't center whiteness & aren't tailored for white audiences are always, always pegged as being unbelievable. all this plus a heaping dose of thay classic "all bi women are dirty attention seeking liars" brand of biphobia. fuck off man

[undi-snowkitteh]

gonna steal that one lol

is there a source u have for saying gay men coined butch as a term? i tried looking it up for curiosity’s sake but i couldn’t find anything. i’m just wonderin, no harm meant.

yep, it stems from a conlang called "polari" that became very popular with gay men in particular:

and changed over time. it saw heavy usage in the 1950's - 70's American queer scene, with cis gay hunks, bears and other macho gays using the term for both themselves and butch lesbians simultaneously

hope that helps somewhat!

[almaprincess66]

I have question about modern media.

Why does suddently every name is gender netural instead of unisex?

Is it because of the shift in language and discussions of gender? Is it because it sounds more inclusive? Is it to fill in the "woke quota"? Is there an anwser to it at all?

/ genuen

[ri-afan]

🙋🏻

Why is the default for a neutral person I’ve heard is ‘friend’? (Hi, friend! Bye, friends! What’s up, friend? Hey, friend, got a minute? My friends, I need your attention for a sec for directions.)) Like, it’s been multiple unrelated people who don’t know one another in multiple situations.

I don’t know you? Who are you to call me your friend? I’m not your friend. One of y’all is my sister? Did I stop being a sibling and now I’m friend? Why was that switch made?

Confuzzed.

[gayfirebird]

עברית להיות כמו:

אני אסבך בכוונה

I made this quick info post about using no pronouns bc there’s not a lot of resources on it! Reblogs appreciated :D

[Image ID: Simple blue and white graphic. First slide is titled “Guide to Using No Pronouns” and has a figure waving with a speech bubble that says “Hi, I’m Bee! I prefer using my name in place of pronouns.” The second slide is titled “Reasons to use No Pronouns” and the bullet points read “When no pronouns seem to fit. Sometimes you just don’t vibe with any of them! Avoids misgendering someone who’s not out yet. For fun!” An additional bubble reads “you don’t have to have a reason!” The third slide is titled “Introductions” and reads “Introducing yourself: “Hello, my name is ____. I use my name instead of pronouns.” or “My name is ____. I don’t use pronouns.” Introducing someone else: “This is ____. ____ doesn’t use pronouns.” or “This is ____. You can use ____’s name in place of pronouns.” I find that stating that you use your name in place of pronouns makes your introduction more clear. I would also include a quick example of how to use your name: “So instead of using they/them/their, you can say “Bee is calling Bee’s parents.”““ The fourth slide is titled “Examples” and reads “Here’s some examples using my name! Instead of: “Bee is working by themself.” Do: “Bee is working alone.” Instead of: “They are proud of their work.” Do: “Bee is proud of Bee’s work.” Instead of “I went with them and they were amazing!” Do: “I went with Bee and Bee was amazing!”“ The fifth slide reads “Thank you for reading! Have a good day!”]

Quick FAQ/additional notes under cut:

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