Kojote Posted June 14, 2016 Author Share Posted June 14, 2016 "They" wasn't really a neutral pronoun either at first. It was Ils/Elles and concerned multiple people rather than a single one, so I'd see no initial problem with a "we"-meaning being reassigned. Your gendered adjectives and verbs are a problem though |D" and it's sad that one can't rain D: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rising Sun Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 I'm a native French speaker too, and I've seen a few uses of "on" as a neutral pronoun in books. As it's technically correct to use (and incorrect to use for "we"), it doesn't bother me. People just need to get used to it with time. In contrast, I haven't seen a single French neopronoun that doesn't look or sound quite weird, to not say ugly. So, I haven't found better than "on" until now. Although it's only my ears' opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooty Owl Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 As someone's who's been brought up using "on" as "we" or for people I don't know, I'd feel very weird using it for one person I know, like: "Où est Dominique? -On est aux toilettes" "Quelle est sa boisson préférée? -On aime l'ice-tea" It just sounds... really really weird and feels like you're talking about the whole group? At least with 'they' there isn't really any ambiguity because you're still clearly refering to someone who is not part of your group at this moment For neopronouns I've found Elli which doesn't sound too bad tbh except for the fact that it's also a diminutive for my former dog's name. But still, good pronoun or not, those damn adjectives still get in the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rising Sun Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Technically, the masculine form is the neutral form too. If I remember well, it even was originally a neutral form and started being used as masculine later. (I'll check this because I'm not quite sure) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis On Air Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 "Êtes-vous un cuisinier ou une cuisinière?" "Oui," Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rising Sun Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Je suis une cuisinière, bien sûr ! Électrique et à induction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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