# Preferred Pronouns Preferred Pronouns are gender-neutral or self-selected pronouns used in place of he/she, often adopted by LGBT and non-binary speakers. The concept dates back to the 1884 coinage of 'thon' by attorney Charles Crozat Converse[4], but blew up as an internet talking point in 2013 when Tom Scott's viral explainer video kicked off years of Tumblr, Reddit and YouTube debate[1]. ## Origin The earliest English pronoun neologism on record is 'thon,' a shortening of 'that one' proposed by United States attorney Charles Crozat Converse in 1884[4]. Feminist writer Mary Orovan coined 'Co' in 1970, and in 1983 mathematician Michael Spivak used 'E,' 'Em' and 'Eir' in the AMS-TeX manual The Joy of TeX; those same forms were added as selectable gender options on the LambdaMOO online community in May 1991[4]. The modern meme-era conversation kicked off on July 5th, 2013, when British YouTuber Tom Scott uploaded 'Gender Neutral Pronouns: They're Here, Get Used to Them,' a short lecture criticizing grammatical gender in English[1]. The video became the go-to link for explaining the topic, and set up the 2014-2015 Tumblr and Reddit fights that gave the term its meme-adjacent status[4]. - **Platform:** YouTube / Tumblr (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview Preferred Pronouns are non-standard or gender-neutral pronouns that a speaker asks others to use for them instead of the default he or she[4]. The list includes older neologisms like 'thon,' 'co,' and the Spivak set ('E,' 'Em,' 'Eir'), plus modern singular 'they' and 'nounself' pronouns that turn any noun into a pronoun set[4]. As an internet topic, the meme lives less in a single image format and more in a running debate. Tumblr posts explaining nounself pronouns get screenshotted and reposted to Reddit for mockery, while YouTube explainer videos rack up dueling like-to-dislike ratios and comment wars[1][2]. The recognizable shape is the pairing: a sincere first-person post about pronoun preference, then a sarcastic quote-repost from a critic community, then a defense video from someone directly affected[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Preferred Pronouns? Preferred Pronouns are gender-neutral or self-chosen pronouns, like singular 'they,' the Spivak set 'E/Em/Eir,' or nounself pronouns, that a speaker asks others to use instead of he or she[4]. ### Where did Preferred Pronouns come from? The earliest English attempt was 'thon,' proposed by attorney Charles Crozat Converse in 1884, followed by later coinages like Mary Orovan's 'Co' in 1970 and Michael Spivak's 'E/Em/Eir' in 1983[4]. ### What does Preferred Pronouns mean? It means the pronoun set a person asks others to use for them, most often chosen because standard he/she options don't fit their gender identity[4]. ### How do you use Preferred Pronouns? You typically ask what pronouns someone uses, then swap them in for he/she in speech and writing; the EmersonOrientation 'Pronouns 101' video walks through the basic etiquette[2]. ### Is Preferred Pronouns still popular? The concept is still standard in LGBT and workplace settings, though the specific 2014-2015 Tumblr-vs-Reddit meme cycle around 'nounself' pronouns is a classic artifact of that era[4]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ehrFk-gLk]() 2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N82yp_NrZXI]() 3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_yBGQqg7kM]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/preferred-pronouns]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/preferred-pronouns Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library