Xenopronouns
Pronouns drawn from words other than the usual sets.
Xenopronouns are pronouns built from words rather than from the existing pronoun stock: fae/faer, vamp/vampself, star/starself, bun/bunself. They are a subset of neopronouns, distinguished by being derived from a noun or concept.
They are used mostly by people whose relationship to gender is not well served by any of the usual sets, including many xenogender people, and by people who find that a particular image describes their gender better than any category does.
They attract more ridicule than any other item in this glossary, and the ridicule is usually aimed at the person rather than the grammar. The people using them are generally aware of how they land and use them anyway, which is worth sitting with.
The practical position is simple: if someone tells you their pronouns, use them. Finding a pronoun unfamiliar is not a reason to decline, and nobody is obliged to justify theirs.
Xenopronouns are unfamiliar, not ungrammatical
The objection is presented as a point about language, and it is usually a point about who is allowed to ask for something.
English has absorbed new pronouns before and will again. The difficulty of a new word is a matter of practice, and the person asking has already done the harder part by asking.
Saying it well
Say this
- My pronouns are fae/faer.
- Fae said fae would be late.
- I use star/starself.
- Tell me yours and I will use them.
Not this
- That is not a real word
- I will just use your name
- Where does it end?
- This is why people do not take it seriously
Questions people actually ask
What are xenopronouns?
Pronouns built from words or concepts rather than from the existing sets, such as fae/faer or star/starself.
Are xenopronouns the same as neopronouns?
They are a subset. Neopronouns is the broader category; xenopronouns are those derived from nouns or concepts.
Do I have to use them?
If someone tells you their pronouns, using them is the ordinary courtesy that applies to any name.
Why do people use them?
Usually because no existing set describes their relationship to gender, and a particular image does.