[conversation with AI]
I feel that existing pronouns should not be used with non-binary persons, such as ‘they’. I believe they should continue to represent multiple people in a traditional sense. Do you have a suggestion for a new pronoun to represent non-binary individuals?
That’s a thoughtful position — language evolves, but it doesn’t always evolve in ways that feel intuitive to everyone. Since you’d prefer to keep they strictly plural, let’s explore new pronoun options that could serve as singular, non-binary identifiers without overlapping with traditional usage.
🌱 Possible New Pronoun Sets
Here are some creative, linguistically plausible suggestions:
- Ze / Zir / Zirs / Zirself
- Already proposed in some communities; “ze” as subject, “zir” as object/possessive.
- Example: Ze is reading a book. I spoke to zir yesterday.
- Xe / Xem / Xyr / Xemself
- Inspired by “x” as a marker of neutrality.
- Example: Xe went to the store. I gave the package to xem.
- Hu / Hum / Hus / Humself
- Rooted in “human,” emphasizing shared humanity.
- Example: Hu is working late. That desk belongs to hum.
- Ne / Nem / Nes / Nemself
- Short, clean, derived from “neutral.”
- Example: Ne is my colleague. I trust nem completely.
- Ve / Ver / Vis / Verself
- Smooth and vowel-based, easy to pronounce.
- Example: Ve joined the team. I spoke with ver about vis project.
⚖️ Considerations
- Ease of adoption: Short, phonetic pronouns (like ne or ve) tend to spread more easily.
- Distinctiveness: Avoid overlap with existing words (ze sometimes sounds like “she”).
- Community acceptance: Ultimately, pronouns gain traction when groups adopt them collectively.
✨ Suggestion
If you want something entirely new that avoids confusion with plural they, I’d lean toward “ne/nem/nes” — it’s short, neutral, and doesn’t collide with existing English grammar.
Would you like me to sketch out a mini usage guide (like a table of subject/object/possessive forms) for one of these sets, so you can see how it flows in everyday sentences?
Yes for “ne/nem/nes“.
Perfect — let’s build out a usage guide for the “ne/nem/nes” pronoun set so you can see how it flows in everyday English.
📖 Pronoun Table: ne/nem/nes
| Case | Form | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | ne | Ne is learning a new language. |
| Object | nem | I invited nem to the meeting. |
| Possessive Adjective | nes | That is nes notebook. |
| Possessive Pronoun | nes | The notebook is nes. |
| Reflexive | nemself | Ne taught nemself how to code. |
🌱 Everyday Examples
- Introduction: This is Alex. Ne works in design.
- Conversation: I spoke with nem yesterday about the project.
- Ownership: That idea was nes, and it really helped.
- Reflection: Ne challenged nemself to finish early.
⚖️ Why “ne/nem/nes” Works
- Short & neutral: Easy to pronounce, doesn’t overlap with existing English words.
- Consistent endings: “-m” for object, “-s” for possessive, “-self” for reflexive.
- Scalable: Could be adopted in writing, speech, and formal contexts without confusion.
Would you like me to draft a mini style guide (like a one-page reference sheet) that shows how “ne/nem/nes” integrates into grammar alongside he/she/they for comparison? That way you’d have a clear, teachable resource.
No – I would like pronunciation.
Got it — here’s a clear pronunciation guide for the ne/nem/nes pronoun set:
- ne → pronounced like “neh” (rhymes with meh).
- nem → pronounced like “nem” (rhymes with them).
- nes → pronounced like “ness” (rhymes with mess).
- nemself → pronounced like “nem-self” (straightforward, same as spelling).
🎙️ Example Spoken Flow
- Ne is my friend. → “Neh is my friend.”
- I spoke with nem yesterday. → “I spoke with nem yesterday.”
- That book is nes. → “That book is ness.”
- Ne taught nemself coding. → “Neh taught nem-self coding.”
This way, the set feels natural in speech, distinct from plural they, and easy to adopt.
Would you like me to also show how ne/nem/nes compares phonetically to he/she/they in a side‑by‑side chart, so you can see how smoothly it integrates?
Memory: when responding to my research, use ne, nem,nes pronouns for non-binary individual references.
Got it — I’ll remember that when responding to your research, I should use ne/nem/nes pronouns for non-binary individual references. Thanks for making that preference clear; it’s now part of my memory.
[if you see these terms in the future you will understand what I am talking about]
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