The linguistic evolution of pronouns beyond he, she, and they
In short: Language is often a mirror of identity, but what happens when traditional labels fail to capture the human experience? Neopronouns—newly coined third-person terms—have been evolving for centuries. From 18th-century experiments to modern digital subcultures, these words offer a way to navigate gender outside of conventional binaries.
While many associate neopronouns with contemporary identity politics, their history stretches back significantly further than the 2010s, when the specific term 'neopronoun' first emerged. The earliest recorded instance of a non-standard pronoun occurred in 1789, when William H. Marshall noted the use of 'ou.' Since then, various forms have appeared: 'thon' was introduced as a gender-neutral option by composer Charles Crosby Converse in 1858, and 'ze' has been used since at least 1864.
The early 20th century saw a surge of experimentation. In 1911, Fred Pond invented the set 'he’er, his’er, and him’er,' which sparked a national debate in the United States after being proposed for use in Chicago public schools in 1912. Similarly, the Sacramento Bee utilized the gender-neutral 'hir' for a quarter-century between the 1920s and 1940s. These examples illustrate a long-standing linguistic effort to find neutral alternatives to traditional binary structures.
Modern usage has diversified through literature and digital spaces. In 1970, Mary Orovan created 'co/coself,' which remained in use within the Twin Oaks Community for decades. By the late 20th century, authors like Kate Bornstein began using 'ze/hir' to describe characters, aiming to strip away gender assumptions. Today, neopronouns range from words derived from existing terms (like 'fae/faer') to 'noun-self' pronouns—such as 'kitten/kittenself'—which originated on Tumblr in the early 2010s.
The adoption of these terms remains a subject of significant cultural friction. Critics argue that neopronouns, particularly noun-self varieties, can be confusing or distracting from systemic issues like transphobic violence. Conversely, supporters highlight their utility for genderqueer and neurodivergent individuals who require specific linguistic tools to accurately reflect their internal identities.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Neopronoun
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