What's Your Pronoun?: Beyond He and She

by Dennis Baron

Overview

“If you want to know why more people are asking ‘what’s your pronoun?’ then you (singular or plural) should read this book.” —Joe Moran, New York Times Book Review

Heralded as “required reading” (Geoff Nunberg) and “the book” (Anne Fadiman) for anyone interested in the conversation swirling around gender-neutral and nonbinary pronouns, What’s Your Pronoun? is a classic in the making. Providing much-needed historical context and analysis to the debate around what we call ourselves, Dennis Baron brings new insight to a centuries-old topic and illuminates how—and why—these pronouns are sparking confusion and prompting new policies in schools, workplaces, and even statehouses. Enlightening and affirming, What’s Your Pronoun? introduces a new way of thinking about language, gender, and how they intersect.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631498718
Publisher:	Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publication date:	01/12/2021
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,057,807
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Dennis Baron professor emeritus of English and linguistics at the University of Illinois, has long been a national commentator on language issues, from the Washington Post to NPR and CNN. A recent Guggenheim Fellow, he lives in Champaign, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The Missing Word 17

2 The Politics Of He 39

3 The Words That Failed 79

4 Queering The Pronoun 115

5 The Missing Word Is They 149

A Chronology Of Gender-Neutral and Nonbinary Pronouns 185

Acknowledgments 247

Notes 249

Index 273

Editorial Reviews

"Dennis Baron has spent years researching the quest for a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun in English. Lively, accessible, and full of fascinating details, What’s Your Pronoun? will appeal to anyone with an interest in linguistic and cultural history."

Deborah Cameron

"Controversies over gender-neutral pronouns, in which language becomes the surrogate for addressing deep social questions, have been going on for centuries. What’s Your Pronoun? is the most authoritative treatment to date of these issues, and should be required reading for anyone interested in the linguistic expression of gender."

Geoff Nunberg

"Pronouns seem a bit of a mess of late in American English, and Dennis Baron shows us the plain sense in what may seem chaotic. The final chapter, which lists the attempts over the centuries to come up with a new gender-neutral pronoun—anyone for hesh?—is worth the price of the ticket."

John McWhorter

"A gem of a book. Captivating and filled with insight, What’s Your Pronoun? entertains, enlightens, and pulls us joyfully into rethinking our ideas about what’s new and old in language."

Shirley Brice Heath

"A deep dive all the way back to the first English grammars of the seventeenth century.... [Baron] concludes with a flourish: an überambitious, 58-page chronology of gender-neutral and nonbinary pronouns. Esoteric? Yes, but catnip for the grammarian, especially the culturally and politically conscious variety."

Michael Cart

"If you’re interested in the current ruckus over pronouns, this is the book."

Anne Fadiman

10/14/2019

University of Illinois professor emeritus Baron debuts with an entertaining and thoroughly documented account of two centuries’ worth of attempts to solve the problem of the English language’s “missing word”: a third person singular pronoun that includes all genders. Baron affirms the singular “they” is the best option by documenting the pronoun’s long history in idiomatic English; asserting that “top-down directives” by lawmakers and style manuals “don’t change language use”; and providing data about the popularity of “they” among people who self-identify as “trans, genderqueer, or nonbinary.” He also digs deeply into the legal and cultural implications of pronoun usage, such as the generic “he” in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and addresses neologisms such as “hiser” and “thon,” which met with the approval of grammarians in the 19th and 20th centuries, but never achieved significant public usage. According to Baron, “everybody hates” the only strictly grammatical option: “his or her.” In conclusion, he offers an “annotated historical lexicon” of more 250 gender-neutral pronouns, a gold mine for readers who delight in the strangeness of language, as well as a clear demonstration of the thorniness of the issue. This easygoing, comprehensive guide will appeal to progressive word geeks. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A scrupulous and absorbing survey. Its great virtue is to show that these issues are nothing new… This scholarly assiduousness, though, also makes him the ideal pilot through these contentious political-linguistic waters. If you want to know why more people are asking ‘what’s your pronoun?’ then you (singular or plural) should read this book."

New York Times Book Review - Joe Moran

"Into the breach comes a useful corrective in the form of Dennis Baron’s well-timed new book."

The Economist

"Based on decades of research, Baron’s masterly work documents the historical and continued importance of personal pronouns. Those interested in gender politics or English grammar, or who feel that 'he' and 'she' are inadequate, would benefit greatly from perusing this book."

Ahliah Bratzler

Narrator Paul Boehmer steadily narrates Dennis Baron’s primer on the history of pronoun use in the English language. The absence of a gender-neutral singular pronoun has irked some language purists for ages, and has been the focus of many a political debate. This audiobook reviews the history of the use of the universal masculine "he," "he or she," the universal feminine "she," and the many attempts of linguists, feminists, and gender-expanding folks to coin singular gender-neutral pronouns and bring them into wider usage. Ultimately, the audiobook stays out of the politics and concludes that people who want to die on the hill of a singular "they" being "wrong" are ignoring the fact that language always has and always will change with usage. Admittedly, it’s amusing to hear a male narrator talk about “mansplaining,” but Boehmer is engaged and delivers a great listen. S.N. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Paul Boehmer steadily narrates Dennis Baron’s primer on the history of pronoun use in the English language. The absence of a gender-neutral singular pronoun has irked some language purists for ages, and has been the focus of many a political debate. This audiobook reviews the history of the use of the universal masculine "he," "he or she," the universal feminine "she," and the many attempts of linguists, feminists, and gender-expanding folks to coin singular gender-neutral pronouns and bring them into wider usage. Ultimately, the audiobook stays out of the politics and concludes that people who want to die on the hill of a singular "they" being "wrong" are ignoring the fact that language always has and always will change with usage. Admittedly, it’s amusing to hear a male narrator talk about “mansplaining,” but Boehmer is engaged and delivers a great listen. S.N. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2020 - AudioFile

2019-09-29
A thorough history of pronoun debates.

Guggenheim fellow Baron (Emeritus, English and Linguistics/Univ. of Illinois; A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution, 2009, etc.) examines what seems like a contemporary question with a historical lens. In this primer, he reveals a centurieslong search for a singular gender-neutral pronoun in English, dispelling persistent myths that such a quest is a recent effort or the product of politically correct motivations. The author traces the discussion of the search further than skeptics may expect, adding a full chronology, dating back to the 1790s, that tracks invented alternates. In addition to extensive notes on the editors, educators, writers, and others who have added their opinions and alternatives to the effort, Baron also archives insights on the popular and common uses of a singular "they." Like the plural and singular form of "you," "they" is a word people have used consistently for centuries, even by those who dispute the choice for grammatical imprecision. In chronicling this ongoing argument over accuracy, intent, and meaning, Baron demonstrates the long-standing efforts to seek, identify, and create alternates for the oft-maligned phrase "he or she." Arranged thematically, some chapters overlap in content, but overall, they offer helpful, nuanced considerations about the power and politics of attempts to control how language evolves. Whether based on authorial intent or individual identity, Baron's catalog of the missing singular form also offers detailed proof that inventing, discovering, or seeking gender-neutral pronouns is not a new endeavor. The author's playful tone imbues the text with friendly sensitivity, and readers will appreciate his decades of research and meticulous attention to documents and sources. The result is a book that reflects the transformational capacity of language.

A lively book for language lovers, those confused about uses of they/them, and anyone curious about writing while gendered.

Kirkus Reviews