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Q&A What pronoun should a hermaphrodite species use?

Despite the rest of the answers giving very valid points, I'd like to add that you can always invent your own expression that doesn't necessarily have to conform to any predefined standards. The e...

posted 6y ago by legrojan‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T08:21:49Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/34477
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar legrojan‭ · 2019-12-08T08:21:49Z (almost 5 years ago)
Despite the rest of the answers giving very valid points, I'd like to add that you can always invent your own expression that doesn't necessarily have to conform to any predefined standards.

The expression **I/We/Gaia** that **Isaac Asimov** uses in his Foundation saga comes to mind. In this case, Asimov refers with this (in my opinion) elegant solution to his collective of beings with a single consciousness. Your particular case could use a similar expression. Something like _heshe_, _s'he_, etc. or even an entirely new word.

There's an added, entirely optional, challenge of introducing the new word to the reader as if it is a well-established word, and giving subtle hints to its meaning until it becomes a well-known word throughout the novel. This adds to the depth of your work.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-03-21T15:58:34Z (over 6 years ago)
Original score: 3