Pronoun troubles and inventing more of them · 7:30am Jan 10th, 2017
To branch off a musing on Lavender Unicorn Syndrome,
Another solution is conlang, inventing pronouns per race-sex combo. I haven't seen it, but with the historic and present xenophobia in ponies, along with the way it's built into the language (nopony, anypony, somepony) it doesn't feel unthinkable… just hard to read.
Dhe/dhim/dhis/dhis
Eshe/eher/eher/ehers (note relation to „ehe“, truth, apropos of AJ to whom it may refer)
Phoe (as in phoenix)/phim/phis/phis
Fe/pher/pher/phers (feathers?)
Uhe/uhim/uhis/uhis
Cie/cir/cir/cirs (Circe, circle, ceros)
Now that I've written it out, I feel like it would be more interesting to divide it on non-gender lines, and reduce the dependence on our alien"he/she". This would also improve suitability for distinguishing the cast.
The military pterippi could have one set, from phoenix and phalanx, to refer to a military individual; and one to refer to others. Possibly use the featherset as the fierce caretakers; he/she reserved for those who do not fit either…but not actually dividing on pterippus lines, stigmatizing those who do not fit, but honoring outsiders with phoe/fe who do as Roamans do.
Earth ponies might have family and Outsider, but that doesn't work well for 3rd-person omniscient. If I were basing it on the Bearers, Constant/Honest(eher) and chaotic (need a new set) could be he Earthpony set. Or, they tend toward "they", with singular he/she being negative-connoting herd-detriment, instead tending toward LUS themselves for stories' sake when the individual must be referenced. After all, pronouns are kind of rude in e.g. Japanese…
Unicorns, the Circle and the …hmm. Having trouble picking a nonmage pronoun. Might just mingle wih nobility (adding in Sir as etymology, but non-gendered) and have it be condescending and refer to any non-noble non-mage with he generic "he/she" of animals and peasantry.
Cerapters…well, it kind of requires a society of them. I would expect each race to use their own set on Celestia, if not styling her as Her Highness.
Chiropterippi…(batponies, if you must be uncouth)
ny/nym/nyr/nyrs (NIMH, nyx, near to the chest(=covert) and a free Holy Grail joke for the Night Guards who say ny.)
Griffonstone gryphons…probably just use he/she as part of the cultural malaise. Before, either pterippal or skree/grr/grr/grrz.
Sphinxes… would be a riddle to find out. Draconequus likewise, worse, as Discord wouldn't tell in any fashion with discernible relation to truth. I expect he prefers the unacceptable ones, as lord of Disharmony.
Dragons? bè/ber/ber/bers (with very slight change to imply burn or brood, of some import, but not hierarchical; a detail nondragons find hard to pronounce, much less follow the rules for choosing when to use which…and the possessive pronoun hoar'ss corrupted from "hoard's" makes no friends of ponies, either, being homophonous with horse.) edit: this is not consistent with horse-drawn horse-drawn carriages being a tourist attraction
Zebra? Just lift the ze set.