| rdfs:comment
| - A pronoun is a word that replaces a longer noun phrase.
- Pronouns in the Japanese language are used less frequently than they would be in many other languages, mainly because there is no grammatical requirement to explicitly mention the subject in a sentence. So, pronouns can seldom be translated from English to Japanese on a one-on-one basis. The words Japanese speakers use to refer to other people are part of the more encompassing system of Japanese honorifics and should be understood within that frame. The choice of pronoun will depend on the speaker's social status compared to the listener, the subject, and the objects of the statement.
- Pronouns are a form of gendered language which refers to a person through words other than their name. Common examples of pronouns are she/her/hers, he/him/his and they/them/theirs. Although some pronouns are traditionally associated with certain genders (such as she/her/hers with women and he/him/his with men) anyone of any gender identity can use any pronouns. Transgender people often change pronouns along with names and titles as part of their transition. Using the wrong pronouns, intentionally or by accident, is a form of misgendering.
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| abstract
| - Pronouns are a form of gendered language which refers to a person through words other than their name. Common examples of pronouns are she/her/hers, he/him/his and they/them/theirs. Although some pronouns are traditionally associated with certain genders (such as she/her/hers with women and he/him/his with men) anyone of any gender identity can use any pronouns. Transgender people often change pronouns along with names and titles as part of their transition. Using the wrong pronouns, intentionally or by accident, is a form of misgendering. Some examples of pronoun sets used by English speakers to refer to individuals are:
* She/her/hers. Traditionally female. She looked at herself in the mirror, and her reflection smiled back at her.
* He/him/his. Traditionally male. He looked at himself in the mirror, and his reflection smiled back at him.
* One/one/one's. One looked at oneself in the mirror, and one's reflection smiled back at one.
* They/them/theirs. "Singular they." They looked at themself in the mirror, and their reflection smiled back at them.
* Ey/em/eirs. Elverson. Ey looked at eirself in the mirror, and eir reflection smiled back at em.
* E/Em/Eirs. Spivak. E looked at Emself in the mirror, and Eir reflection smiled back at Em.
* Xe/xem/xyrs. Xe looked at xemself in the mirror, and xyr reflection smiled back at xem.
* Sie/hir/hirs. Sie looked at hirself in the mirror, and hir reflection smiled back at hir.
* Ve/ver/vis. Ve looked at verself in the mirror, and vis reflection smiled back at ver.
* Ze/zir/zirs. Ze looked at zirself in the mirror, and zir reflection smiled back at zir.
* Ne/nem/nirs. Ne looked at nemself in the mirror, and nir reflection smiled back at nem.
* Ze/zer/zers. Ze looked at xemself in the mirror, and zer reflection smiled back at mer.
* Fae/faer/faers. Fae looked at faerself in the mirror, and faer reflection smiled back at faer.
* Per/per/pers. Per looked at perself in the mirror, and per reflection smiled back at per.
- Pronouns in the Japanese language are used less frequently than they would be in many other languages, mainly because there is no grammatical requirement to explicitly mention the subject in a sentence. So, pronouns can seldom be translated from English to Japanese on a one-on-one basis. Most of the Japanese pronouns are not pure: they have other meanings. In English the common pronouns have no other meaning: for example, "I", "you", and "they" have no use except as pronouns. But in Japanese the words used as pronouns have other meanings: for example, 私 means "private" or "personal"; 僕 means "manservant". The words Japanese speakers use to refer to other people are part of the more encompassing system of Japanese honorifics and should be understood within that frame. The choice of pronoun will depend on the speaker's social status compared to the listener, the subject, and the objects of the statement. The first person pronouns (e.g. watashi, 私) and second person pronouns (e.g. anata, 貴方) are used in formal situations. In many sentences, when an English speaker would use the pronouns "I" and "you", they are omitted in Japanese. Personal pronouns can be left out when it is clear who the speaker is talking about. When it is required to state the topic of the sentence for clarity, the particle wa (は) is used, but it is not required when the topic can be inferred from context. Also, there are frequently used verbs that can indicate the subject of the sentence in certain circumstances: for example, kureru (くれる) means "give", but in the sense of "somebody gives something to me or somebody very close to me"; while ageru (あげる) also means "give", but in the sense of "someone gives something to someone (usually not me)". Sentences consisting of a single adjective (often those ending in -shii) are often assumed to have the speaker as the subject. For example, the adjective sabishii can represent a complete sentence meaning "I am lonely." Thus, the first person pronoun is usually only used when the speaker wants to put a special stress on the fact that he is referring to himself, or if it is necessary to make it clear. In some situations it can be considered uncouth to refer to the listener (second person) by a pronoun. If it is required to state the second person explicitly, the listener's surname suffixed with -san or some other title (like "customer", "teacher", or "boss") is generally used. Gender differences in spoken Japanese also bring about another challenge as men and women use different pronouns to refer to themselves. Social standing also determines how a person refers to themselves, as well as how a person refers to the person they are talking to.
- A pronoun is a word that replaces a longer noun phrase.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)