Subject
ae
Object
aer
Possessive
aer
Possessive (alone)
aers
Reflexive
aerself
Said like:
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.
In a sentence
Ae is the one who organised the trip.
I texted aer the times and aer reply was instant.
The tent is aers, and ae pitched it aerself.
How to use them
- 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.
Ways to practise
- 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.
Where it came 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.
Who uses them
Identities whose pages mention this set. A pronoun never tells you what someone is — this is only where the word turns up.
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.