Learning new neopronouns or task adaptation?

Abstract

English neopronouns have been reported difficult to learn or use because of their low frequency, and because pronouns are a closed category, and are rated below ceiling in acceptability surveys. Hekanaho (2022) reports that metalinguistic commentary about neopronouns includes themes of prescriptivism, unfamiliarity, ‘weirdness,’ and confusion. In this study, we examine whether exposure to neopronouns during a survey increased acceptability ratings. Neopronouns were rated higher when seen later in the survey. We analyze metalinguistic comments from the survey in which participants report their experiences in the survey as educational or instructive, suggesting that some order effects may be reflective of actual learning.