h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Gender-Free Pronouns - A753833
Author: Lucinda (et al) - U129960

Second time lucky...

Hopefully this is vastly improved. If anyone can see any remaining problems, errors, holes, I'd appreciate if sie would say - here or otherwise.

The old PR thread is attached to the entry, if anyone wants the backlog.

Umm.

I think that's everything.

-Martin

Sadly, this isn't old enough for me to recommend yet. However, I don't think it'll be long - hopefully...

Good luck, Lucinda!

Whoami?

I'd prefer to have a good entry that's picked slowly than a dodgy entry that's picked quickly

That's right.

But it's so good!!!



- Jordan

Thanks
I hope it's not too long - unlike some of my other entries, I'd like people to actually read this one...

It's able to be picked now. Unfortunately it won't be me at the moment - my picks have all gone. Maybe if a bonus is announced.

NB: Scouts, this one's ripe 'n' ready...

I have seen some other alternatives in the early eighties.

har/hir being used as interchangably to be gender unspecified him her.
these were extended to hars hirs for his and hers.

also che used for (s)he.

"Hence the proliferation of 'a/s/l' in chatrooms." - don't understand! Can you explain?

Other than that, very good article.

And I'm in it! PICK IT RIGHT NOW!

Also glad to see the blue tits have survived.

Gif (now officially an Authority)

Explained a/s/l.

I've never heard of 'har' being used, and I can't find it on a google search ('har hir' gets back a bunch of what looks like swedish or possibly other scandinavian language). In what context was it used?

Delightful!

My favourite bits are "zark'r/zark'm" and "h'orsh'it"!

As "hir/har" seem to predate the web, I am not surprised that you found it tricky to find them.

in the early eighties there were bunches of students at some universities who were into philosophy and were looking into orthogonal extentions to english to make saying some stuff that was tricky to say easier to say.

one of the variants that they came up with was to use either "hir" or "har" as equivalent, to be a gender neutral version of "her".

these were then used interchangably depending on which sounded least wrong in the particular context that they were being used.

they seem to have spread through part of the "goth" culture, but by no means all of it.

Hmm, har isn't not referenced in http://www.english.uiuc.edu/baron/essays/epicene.htm , which is a fairly comprehensive list of neologisms. I'm kinda surprised at introducing two pronouns where one would seem to do - maybe that is part of why 'har' died in favour of 'hir'. Or maybe not.

Anyhow - cheers for the info

Hmm, har isn't not referenced in http://www.english.uiuc.edu/baron/essays/epicene.htm , which is a fairly comprehensive list of neologisms. I'm kinda surprised at introducing two pronouns where one would seem to do - maybe that is part of why 'har' died in favour of 'hir'. Or maybe not.

Anyhow - cheers for the info

Hmm, har isn't not referenced in http://www.english.uiuc.edu/baron/essays/epicene.htm , which is a fairly comprehensive list of neologisms. I'm kinda surprised at introducing two pronouns where one would seem to do - maybe that is part of why 'har' died in favour of 'hir'. Or maybe not.

Anyhow - cheers for the info

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

That'll be me that did it then.

A bonus pick did come up then?

Just popped by to say congratukations, I read this ages ago (although I can't remember why) and it deserves to be put in the Edited Guide for posterity.

Hi Catwoman! I thought you'd vanished! Great to see you again!

Whoami?