Danish Dictionary Adds Gender-Neutral Pronouns

The Danish Dictionary is set to incorporate gender-neutral pronouns into its official lexicon, marking a significant update to the language's formal recognition of diverse gender identities.

Starting Friday, the dictionary will officially include the pronouns 'hen' and 'hens.' Additionally, existing pronouns such as 'de,' 'dem,' and 'deres' will be expanded to include new meanings that explicitly allow them to refer to a single person, regardless of gender.

According to LGBT+ Danmark, many non-binary individuals prefer gender-neutral pronouns like 'de,' 'dem,' or 'hen' over traditional male ('han,' 'ham') or female ('hun,' 'hende') pronouns. A non-binary person is defined as someone who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman.

The dictionary's update aims to provide an inclusive reflection of how Danish is spoken. Karen Skovgaard-Petersen, director of the Danish Language and Literature Society, stated that the dictionary serves all Danish speakers, acknowledging that the language is not experienced uniformly by everyone. The inclusion of gender-neutral pronouns is presented as an example of how the dictionary offers insight into both one's own language and the language of others.

This update adds 292 new entries and 12 new fixed expressions, alongside 34 new meanings and 358 changes to existing entries. Other new words include 'belugalinse' (beluga lentil), 'genopdragelsesrejse' (re-education trip), 'manosfære' (manosphere), 'stigegolf' (ladder golf), and 'ulvesikre' (wolf-proof). The entry for 'BMO,' meaning a bun with cheese, has also been added.

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A dictionary like The Danish Dictionary must provide insight not only into one's own language but also into others', and the description of gender-neutral pronouns will probably be an example of precisely that for many.