Pronoun drama: an analysis of Reddit forums through the lens of grassroots prescriptivism

Abstract

[eng] Although pronouns are considered a closed grammatical category, recent socio-cultural changes related to gender identity have resulted in the introduction of new members that constitute an alternative to the use of binary he and she. Such pronominal alternatives are termed neopronouns, and include a wide variety of forms, such as they, ze, fae, and nounself pronouns, among many others (LGBTQIA+ Wiki 2024). Because they challenge both prescriptive grammar and social conservatism, the use of these forms has generated a heated online debate, which is best studied through the lens of grassroots prescriptivism (Lukač 2018; Lukač and Heyd 2020). Adopting that approach, this thesis aims at unveiling the different attitudes speakers have towards neopronouns by analysing Reddit forums held in 2020-2023, where users express their opinion on the use of neopronouns in general and the choice of some forms, in particular. Findings indicate that they/them is the most accepted pronoun set, though opinions vary on its effectiveness for true gender neutrality. The ze pronouns show positive acceptance, while fae/faer faces cultural appropriation concerns. The it/its pronouns, though less discussed, have mixed sentiments attached to them. All in all, these results highlight the role played by grassroots prescriptivism and beliefs about language correctness in language variation related to the expression of gender identity.