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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Pronouns in the news, 1878 edition: The Detroit News (Nov. 12, 1878) cites Peoria Transcript support for E, es, and em. "The illiterate will say 'they.' But nothing can be more absurd unless it be the word 'he.'" E, es, and em, the oldest nonbinary pronouns I've found so far, were coined in 1841.

Detroit News recounts Peoria Transcript support for E, es, and em

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The university is always looking out for us.

University email notifying employees that they must report to the safety and compliance office if they experience fatality

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Pronouns in the news, 1917 edition: The Worcester (MA) Telegram reports that local resident John W. Taylor invented "hier. . . made up of the dominant letters in he or she, his or her, and him or her." 7 years earlier, E. P. Jots, of New Decatur, AL, also invented hier.

Headline: Pronoun invented by John W. Taylor. Worcester Telegram, August 6, 1917, p. 8.

E. P. Jots announces his coinage of hier. Baltimore Sun, Feb. 12, 1910, p. 5.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Pronouns in the news, 1937 edition: The Kentucky New Era claims that teachers eradicated ain't, a word the paper associates with American independence. The writer wants a common gender (=gender neutral) pronoun that would be useful for referring to women's hats in a theatre. Ain't pronouns grand?

Claims ain't has been eradicated and calls for professors to create a new common gender pronoun

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

US Secretary of Education McMahon wants more civics in classrooms, with students pledging allegiance to a flag with 15 stripes and roughly 60 stars.

US Department of Education facebook post showing a class of children reciting the pledge.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Found this tucked away on a high shelf in the linen closet. Could use a touch up with the iron.

Peter Max love image on an old pillow case

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Another 🐝 reject and it's not even British.

New York Times spelling bee says pwned is not in its word list

Merriam-Webster definition of pwn and pwned.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

New technology always gives us new ways to fake it.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Sometimes patriotic re-naming can go too far... an ad for Liberty Cabbage, "formerly Sauer Kraut." The Plain Speaker (Hazleton, Pennsylvania), September 7, 1918, p. 5.

An ad for Liberty Cabbage in a Pennsylvania newspaper from 1918

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Presented for your amusement, a new version of the author spam/scam, or should I say auteur, sent to me though I didn't write the book, addressing me by not-my-name, en français, and ending, eventually, in an offer to publicize it for me, for $, or perhaps €.

A message in French to me about a book I didn't write, ending with an offer to help me publicize it, for $, or perhaps €.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Back to school, or la rentrée

Shakespeare takes young Hamnet shopping for school supplies.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Pronouns in Missouri, then and now. At its 1922 constitutional convention, Missouri considered adding the nonbinary pronoun idn "into the language of the state." [Image from Montgomery Standard, Nov. 10, 1922.]

Report of attempt to add the common gender pronoun idn to the language of the state of Missouri

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Simon and Schuster rewrite the Surgeon General's warning.

Ad for Jason Arday book with warning "Avoid publishing scams. Learn more."

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

used golf carts waiting to be taken wherever used golf carts go

used golf carts waiting to be loaded on a truck to be taken wherever used golf carts go

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Shouldn't he just build a wall and make Canada pay for it?

Headline: Trump wants to impose tariffs on Canada in retaliation for wildfire smoke.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

wordle: in three today. why is everyone so upset? i mean the bee 🐝 denied me boffin and nobble. now that is upsetting.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

In Québec, no noshing allowed. Read all about it in a new post on the Web of Language: blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/3194...

blogs.illinois.edu

In Québec, no noshing allowed.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The Deux Chevaux comes with everything you see here. Batteries not included.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Pham: A century-old nonbinary pronoun you never heard of -- a new post on the Web of Language. blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/1359...

blogs.illinois.edu

Pham: A century-old nonbinary pronoun you never heard of

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Pronouns in the news, 1918 edition: S. D Smith, of Davenport IA, proposes pham and phem as pronouns for "either a man or a woman." Smith also offers some compounds: congresspham, phamhood, phamself. Illinois State Register, Mar. 22, 1918, p. 4.

Article proposing pham and phem as common gender pronouns.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Remember this: If Proust had this madeleine hand cream he would have written so much more.

ad for hand cream that smells of fresh-baked
madeleines

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Pronouns in the news, 1890 edition, or, it was always the guns: Former UMichigan regent Ebenezer Lakin Brown offers common gender pronouns ta, tas, and tan, but a writer warns, "If ta comes out west ta should bring tas gun for the protection of tan." Illinois State Register, Dec. 18, 1890, p. 4.

Critique of an earlier proposal for common gender ta, tas, and tan.

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Dennis Baron @drgrammar.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

In addition to emails offering hundreds of "real" reviews of books I’ve published, one offered to create an AI Me, trained on my books, to converse with readers and sign copies of my books (digitally), leaving me free to write more or to go into stasis. blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/4857...