Quiz: What Are My Pronouns?

Language is a living organism that constantly evolves alongside society. In recent years, more and more people have been thinking about how pronouns affect their self-expression and how others perceive them. Our quiz will help you navigate this diversity and, perhaps, find the forms that most accurately reflect your personality.

Quiz Description

The “What Are My Pronouns?” quiz is a carefully designed set of questions that explore various aspects of self-perception and social interaction. Each question has been crafted taking into account contemporary linguistic research and social practices.

The quiz structure includes several key sections. The first part explores your feelings about different forms of address. For example, how do you react when addressed formally or informally? What emotions do different pronoun variants evoke in everyday communication?

The second part of the quiz focuses on social contexts. It examines situations in professional environments, among friends, and within family. Interestingly, our preferences for pronoun usage may vary depending on context and surroundings.

The third part includes questions about cultural and linguistic diversity, helping to understand how different language traditions influence our self-expression.

Birth of the Non-binary Pronouns Movement

The history of non-binary pronouns is much richer than it might first appear. In English, the first documented attempts to create gender-neutral pronouns date back to the late 18th century. William Godwin, in his 1789 essay, proposed using “it” as a universal pronoun, although his idea didn’t gain widespread adoption.

In the early 20th century, new proposals emerged: “thon” (1858, Charles Converse), “ae” (1920s, science fiction writer Michael Spivak). In Russian, experiments with pronouns began during the avant-garde period. Futurist poets, including Velimir Khlebnikov, actively experimented with language, creating new forms of expression.

The experience of Esperanto – an artificial language created in the late 19th century – is particularly interesting. L. L. Zamenhof initially included gender-neutral pronouns in it, showing the importance of this issue even at that time.

Modern Usage and Recognition

Currently, the use of diverse pronouns is becoming increasingly common. In Russian-speaking spaces, new forms are emerging that reflect various aspects of identity. Some people use multiple pronouns, switching between them depending on context or mood.

An interesting trend is observed in academia: more and more scientific journals and conferences include a field for indicating preferred pronouns in registration forms. Major technology companies are incorporating this practice into corporate culture, adding pronoun fields to employee profiles and communication systems.

Social networks are also adapting to these changes. LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms have added the ability to indicate preferred pronouns in profiles. This has created a new standard for digital self-presentation.

List of Most Common Pronouns

English has a rich set of pronouns that continues to evolve. Let’s look at the main categories and variants used today:

Traditional pronouns:

• He/him/his/himself
• She/her/hers/herself

Gender-neutral pronouns:

• They/them/their/theirs/themself (singular)
• Ze/zir/zirs/zirself
• Xe/xem/xyr/xyrs/xemself
• E/em/eir/eirs/emself
• Ve/ver/vis/verself
• Ae/aer/aers/aerself
• Per/per/pers/perself

Historical and alternative forms:

• Thon/thons (proposed in 1858 by Charles Converse)
• Spivak pronouns (ey/em/eir, created by Michael Spivak)
• Ne/nem/nir/nirs/nemself
• Fae/faer/faers/faerself

Combined variants:

• He/they (using both sets of pronouns)
• She/they
• Any pronouns (accepting any pronouns)
• Ask for pronouns (preference to specify pronouns)

It’s interesting to look at the experience of other languages. For example, Swedish has officially recognized the gender-neutral pronoun “hen” alongside traditional “han” (he) and “hon” (she). In spoken Chinese, all third-person pronouns are pronounced the same (tā), although they differ in writing. In Japanese, the pronoun system is closely tied to social context and includes multiple variants depending on the degree of communication formality.

Some Native American languages, such as Cherokee or Navajo, have more complex pronoun systems that consider not only gender but other aspects of identity, including social status and kinship relations. This shows how diverse the expression of identity through pronouns can be across different cultures.

The Importance of Self-identification

Choosing pronouns is part of a broader process of self-identification. Different cultures have various approaches to this issue. For example, in Thailand, the pronoun system is closely tied to social hierarchy and includes many variants reflecting age, status, and degree of formality in communication.

In the modern world, self-identification through pronouns is becoming an important aspect of professional and social life. Some organizations conduct inclusive communication training where pronoun usage and respectful communication are discussed.

It’s interesting to note pop culture’s influence on spreading information about pronouns. Contemporary films, series, and literature increasingly address this topic, contributing to a broader public dialogue.

How to Use Pronouns Correctly?

In modern communication, it’s important to consider several key aspects of pronoun usage. First is context – different forms of address may be appropriate in different situations. Second are cultural features – what’s acceptable in one culture may have a completely different meaning in another.

New communication standards are forming in professional environments. For example, in international companies, it’s becoming standard to indicate preferred pronouns in email signatures. This helps create a more comfortable work atmosphere and avoid misunderstandings.

The experience of educational institutions is interesting. Some universities include pronoun information in learning management systems, allowing students to indicate their preferences. This contributes to creating a more inclusive educational environment.

Conclusions

The “What Are My Pronouns?” quiz is not just a set of questions, but a reflection of complex processes in language and society development. It helps explore various aspects of self-expression through the lens of linguistic practices.

It’s important to understand that language continues to evolve. New pronoun forms appear and enter common usage, reflecting changing social norms and needs for self-expression. The main thing remains respectful attitude towards each person’s choice.

Pronouns are not just a grammatical category but an important communication tool helping to create a more inclusive and understanding society. Regardless of which pronouns you use, mutual respect and openness to dialogue remain key.