Beyond xier: An Exploration of German Nonbinary Pronoun Usage and Discourse on Twitter.

This article examines the use and diversity of neopronouns—newly created pronouns intended to address gaps in traditional gendered pronoun systems—among German speakers, focusing on Twitter discourse. Unlike some languages where a single nonbinary pronoun has gained prominence, German neopronouns remain unstable and varied, with the most frequent being they/them (borrowed from English), xier, dey/deren, and sier. The study found that general discussions about neopronouns dominate Twitter conversations, while personal and contextual uses are less common, highlighting ongoing societal negotiation around gender-inclusive language in German. These findings challenge the North American pedagogical focus on xier as the primary German neopronoun and underscore the need for broader recognition of multiple neopronouns in research, education, and language policy.