The History of Pronouns
She/Her; He/Him; They/Them; Ze/Zir, etc.
Years ago, I never would've thought about a person’s pronouns. Then this conversation leaked into cisgender spaces. I have heard the arguments “why does it matter?” (It does. It means inclusivity for everyone.) And for a split second, I ignorantly thought the same thing until I realized I have always corrected people when they would call me “he” (because of my traditionally “male” name, Elijah) when I refer to myself as “she” as a cisgender woman.
Pronouns, their history, use, and what not to do, are something I’m still actively learning about. As new information comes out (I try to read it all) and seeing some of my inspirations like Jazzelle (uglyworldwide on Instagram) come out as non-binary or others with new pronouns, it’s a reminder that change is good and constant.
In day-to-day life, it could be as simple as asking about a person’s pronouns. Or maybe a person has them displayed next to their name in the Zoom meeting. But, I wanted to dive in to really learn about pronouns when I saw a person I knew use “Ze/Zir” pronouns.
It may seem that pronouns are a new thing, a 21st-century thing, but they’re not. In the 1800s, people were on the search for gender-neutral pronouns. The search was popular amongst feminists who wanted to use gender-neutral pronouns to eliminate social bias. This argument was further examined in the Daily Arkansas Gazette in 1882:
“This time the grammatical argument for a new pronoun is supplemented with an appeal to feminism: Why should it not be the duty of woman’s rights women to supply this, the needed term? As the laws of grammar now stand, the use of “he” when “she” may be meant is an outrage upon the dignity, and an encroachment upon the rights, of women. It is quite as important that they should stand equal with men in the grammars as before the law.”
In the past gender-neutral pronouns were wanted to eliminate biases or, as an 1852 newspaper reported in the Semi-Weekly Eagle calls it, an “invention of a new pronoun of the common gender.”Whereas today we have a broader understanding of gender: that it is fluid.
Hence the need for pronouns that accommodate a person's needs if they choose to use them. Some of these pronouns that are in use today include Ze/Zim and sie/hir. Whereas ne, nis, nir, and hiser pronouns, were used in the 1850s for a blink in time.
Overall though, in my experience, I’ve seen they/them pronouns more frequently. Sam Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and most recently Demi Lovato use they/them pronouns. Seeing big stars come out paves the path for others. For example, many in my generation grew up with Demi Lovato. From their Disney days to the days they were in and out of rehab to today, Lavato was and still is a constant role model. If they can live as themselves, so can we.
Seeing they/them more in use in small social circles and celebrities (especially those always in the limelight) makes they/them pronouns more attainable in the English language. In other words, it should make it more common, and others should feel comfortable using them, breaking the limited use of she/her and he/his.
But like with anything, arguments have risen, which is common when it comes to language changes. According to Ben Zimmer (a linguist) in a Times article, “If people have trouble now, it’s understandable because when we’re dealing with something as fundamental as a pronoun. Changes like this might seem to go against people’s deeply held feelings about how language works.”
I’ve heard some people argue that they can’t be singular when I asked them why they didn't have anything to justify their reasoning other than it doesn't make sense.
Which doesn't make sense. “They” has been used as singular by Shakespeare, and that is accepted, not even questioned. Is it because he’s a renowned famous dead white man?
People were using they as a singular pronoun before Shakespeare. There's evidence of it in use in 1375 in William and the Werewolf.
“Except for the old-style language of that poem, its use of singular they to refer to an unnamed person seems very modern. Here’s the Middle English version: ‘Hastely hiȝed eche . . . þei neyȝþed so neiȝh . . . þere william & his worþi lef were liand i-fere.’ In modern English, that’s: ‘Each man hurried . . . till they drew near . . . where William and his darling were lying together.’”
With this early example, it is possible that people were using the singular they in conversations before words were on paper. It shows that a person using they/them pronouns isn't a problem within speech or the written word. In fact, they/them is just as common now as she/her and he/his.
Fast forward to today, pronouns like they/them, she/her, he/his, and ze/zir are proudly (as they should) displayed on people's social media pages like Instagram. The app allows its users to pick their pronouns to be displayed on their profile which offers a person to add up to four pronouns to their bio.
Instagram is not their only app that offers people to present their pronouns, but with it being a popular app, the news of the new feature spread like wildfire on news sources like the Guardian and CBS.
I hope features like these allow for less misgendering which can be hurtful. But it also can open doors for people to misgender others on purpose to hurt someone deliberately. As a staff writer for The McDonough County Voice puts it,
“Misgendering can be accidental, unintentional, or done intentionally to harm and make a point of unacceptance and unwelcome. And while being trans may come with the expectation of being misgendered, it is never a pleasant experience for us. Not everyone is willing to be kind or accepting, and many trans folk face threats of harassment or assault after coming out or correcting someone. Many trans folks — especially women — are assaulted and sometimes killed just for trying to be themselves.”
Hopefully, soon whatever a person chooses their pronouns to be or those who don't feel the use for pronouns like Janelle Monáe said in a Them article, “People can call me whatever it is they want to call me. I know who I am. I know my journey. And I don’t have to declare anything.”
So pronouns seemed to be a debate since the 1800s before that authors using “they” didn't result in arguments. Though the debate focus has changed, it’s changed as society becomes more aware that gender is a spectrum. Rather the spectrum is discussed in the science world or between friends. Varying pronouns offer people something that fits with who they are as a person.
