First, in case you (understandably) slept through explanations of parts of speech in Freshman English, a simplified definition of a pronoun is a word that can be used in place of a noun.
The English pronouns "he" and "she," which are classified as binary pronouns. are often targets of current controversies. Here's the issue.
To refer to a third person with a pronoun, traditional English grammar forces us to decide if that person is male (he) or female (she). This is not true of all world languages. The Hawaiian language, for example, has one word, "ia," often written as "o ia," which can be translated as "he," she," or "it."
In today's American society, there are increasing numbers of people who self-identify as transgender.
Many attempts have been made recently to introduce new gender-neutral or non-binary pronouns.
One recommendation is to use what are called "splat pronouns," such as "*e" for either "he" or "she." The asterisk indicates ambiguity between male and female. Another formulation of less specific pronouns, "spivak pronouns," came into being in an online chat room where participants did not want to disclose their genders. These pronouns, such as "E" ("he, "she," "it), are attributed to Michael Spivak.
Still other trans-gender individuals use the pronoun "they" in a singular sense. "They,"of course, is gender-free.
You may wonder why American language has not caught up with the social acceptance of varying types of gender. The answer may be because pronouns are classified as function words, along with other words such as conjunctions, prepositions, and articles. These words contrast with content words, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. (Stick with me here.)
New content words come into our language at a dizzying speed. Do you know the meaning of "crowdfund," "e-cigarette," or "jeggings"? These new content words enter our language easily.
Linguists tell us that pronouns, being function words, belong to a closed class of words that seldom admits new members. When is the last time you learned of a new pronoun? I can remember an attempt by the Feminist Movement of the 1960's and 70's to introduce "s/he" as a neutral pronoun, but I don't believe the new pronoun caught on in widespread use. So the numerous suggestions now being offered for non-binary pronouns may not enter the mainstream quickly.
Until English grammar books catch up with societal mores, wearing name tags has been suggested as a way of training others to use new forms of address.
Now, who said pronouns were a dull, pedantic topic?
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