(no subject)

[chasingtides]

Folks:

Do you have thoughts on gender neutral language? Nomenclature? Other gender neutral items I cannot currently remember? Are you opposed? For? Mixed? Share your thoughts!

Comments

[smallcaps.livejournal.com]

I usually use zie/hir, unless I have a note that someone prefers something else.

ETA: as for why that particular combo, I guess just because it's the ones I've heard the most?

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

*nods*

My only issue with those are that they aren't aurally different from she/her. I'm pondering others and while I've written others - and use the supposedly grammatically incorrect "they" more often - I've not actually heard others. Or seen then used (other than by myself).

[smallcaps.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh, I thought of more to say! Duh. *facepalm* That is, in spoken conversation I do tend to use singular them/they, because people understand it (and I'm picking and choosing my battles).

It's only really if I am speaking to someone I know 'gets' the concept of nonbinary, or if I'm speaking of someone who actively prefers gender neutral terms (this doesn't happen as often as I would expect) then I will say zie (like 'zee', very hard zed) and 'hir' (I don't know how to represent the sound this makes, but it is distinct...but I guess in other accents it might not be).


eta I think it is kind of like 'here' (but I don't know how you pronounce that) or German 'hier', whereas 'her' is a distinctly different 'hur'.