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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow about this for a gender-neutral pronoun?
"Em" pronounced as"em" or "um?" The pronunciation would depend on its use in the sentence. It could also be used as the plural pronoun for people.
"I saw em yesterday." Em will be here in about an hour." Did you notice em' s new car?
We use it all the time, anyway, with the unstressed vowel pronunciation.
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How about this for a gender-neutral pronoun? (Original Post)
MineralMan
Apr 2017
OP
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)1. The language gurus have already loosened up on the use
of "they" and "them" as singular pronouns that can be used instead of "he/him" or "she/her." "Um" would just be a shortened form.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)2. Yup. We barely speak English these days, anyhow.
JenniferJuniper
(4,496 posts)5. I find "they" and 'them" tough to adapt to
because they've heretofore always been plural.
LisaM
(27,762 posts)3. Well, sometimes it's someone's actual name (like Auntie Em)
so that might be a problem. Poor Em would be saddled with having to do everything!
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)4. I'd just use Emily's full name.
That would fix that.