Ae/Aer
Ae/aer is a neopronoun from a 1920 science-fiction novel, now used by real people: ae is, I saw aer, aer coat, it is aers, aerself.
- ae
- aer
- aer
- aers
The forms
| Subject | aeae is here |
|---|---|
| Object | aerI saw aer |
| Possessive | aeraer book |
| Possessive (standing alone) | aersthat is aers |
| Reflexive | aerselfby aerself |
In a sentence
What it is
Ae/aer has the shape of she/her. Ae is the subject. Aer is the object and the possessive before a noun. Aers stands on its own. Aerself is the reflexive. Ae left. I saw aer. That is aer scarf; it is aers; ae knitted it aerself.
It also has the odd distinction of a known author. David Lindsay wrote ae, aer and aerself for a race of air-beings in A Voyage to Arcturus, published in 1920. People adopted it for themselves much later, which tells you how pronouns travel: a word can sit in a book for decades and then be picked up because it fits.
How to use it
- Singular verbs: ae is, ae was.
- Aer doubles as object and possessive determiner, like her. Aers is the standalone possessive, like hers.
- Some people write it as the ligature æ. Same word; type ae if you cannot find the character.
- Ask how the person says it. Ae has been said several ways, and the person's own way is the right one.
- Slip? Replace the one word and keep going. No speech.
Getting used to it
- Say "ae, aer, aers, aerself" in one breath, five times.
- Write one sentence about the person each day for a week, using a different form each day.
- If you lean on the person's name in group chats, use ae/aer at least once per message for a fortnight, until it stops feeling like an occasion.
Who uses this
Ae/Aer comes up on one page in the library.
That is all this list is. No identity requires a pronoun set, and most imply nothing about pronouns at all.
Fluid 1 entry
Where it comes from
On record. Wikipedia's article on A Voyage to Arcturus says Lindsay "coined a new gender-neutral pronoun series, ae, aer, and aerself" for the phaen, and Pronouns.page gives the same origin, the 1920 novel. When people began using it for themselves is not recorded.
Questions people ask
Is ae/aer a real pronoun if it came from a novel?
Words come from wherever they come from. This one has a named author and a date, which is more than most pronouns can say. People use it now, for themselves; that is what makes it real.
How do I pronounce ae?
Ask the person. We have not found a source that settles it, and people who use it say it in more than one way. Asking once beats guessing forever.
Other sets
Pronouns are one part of it
Twenty questions across six dimensions, about four minutes, then a ranked shortlist rather than a verdict. Scoring runs on your device; nothing you answer leaves it.
Pronouns are a request about language, not a claim about anyone else. Using someone’s pronouns costs nothing and says a lot.