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“Mock pronouns”, Theresa Heyd, Universität Heidelberg, Germany
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Descriptif
This paper gives an account of mock pronouns as a (predominantly digital) discursive practice. The rise of pronouns and pronominal discourse as a gender-inclusive practice has been accompanied by heavy antifeminist and transphobic discourse, where the very mention of “pronouns” is derided and cautioned against. In particular, pronoun discourse can become a vehicle for antifeminist and transphobic sentiment (see e.g. Dafaure 2022: 244 on the case of Jordan Peterson) that is in line with current misogynist and anti-emancipatory backlash in online and other public spheres (e.g. Aiston 2023).
Based on data from digital discourse, this paper investigates a specific digital-discursive corollary of such antipronominal discourse, namely the usage of mock pronouns. The display of mock pronouns harnesses the linguistic strategies of pronoun sharing by exploiting digital affordances (such as user bios), metadiscursive routines such as “my pronouns are” constructions and the suggestion of pronominal case display through slashes (“they/them”). However, the potential pronominal slots are filled with other items, intended as derisive, funny or transgressive. This yields examples such as
My Pronouns are Fuck/Off
My pronouns are ✨Your/Majesty✨
My analysis focuses on the linguistic and semiotic strategies involved in the display of mock pronouns, including the semantics of the items chosen as well as their metadiscursive framing. By treating this practice under the label of mock discourse, I seek to connect this discursive practice to other forms of linguistic marginalization and derision as described by Hill (2009) and others for Mock Spanish and similar racializing practices. Tapping into the semiotic resource that gender-inclusive pronoun sharing has become, the practice of mock pronouns enables users to engage in anti-feminist and transphobic discourse that oscillates between openly hostile and seemingly benevolent or playful stances. This exploratory study is intended as a contribution to our understanding of (anti-)pronominal discourse in digital contexts.
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