Description

Book Synopsis

This original volume provides the first state-of-the-art overview of research on pronouns in the 21st century. With its dedicated sections on grammar, history, and change, language learning/acquisition, cognition and comprehension, power, politics, and identity, The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns shows that contemporary interest in pronouns and gender represents just the tip of the iceberg.

Led by Laura Paterson, a transdisciplinary collection of experts discuss the global history of different pronoun systems, synthesize the literature, and contextualize the salient issues and current debates shaping research on pronouns across different spheres and via different theoretical-methodological traditions. The Handbook is designed to encourage readers to engage with a range of perspectives from within and beyond their immediate areas of interest, with the ultimate aim of shaping the future trajectory of interdisciplinary, multiingual research on pronouns.

Usin

Trade Review

In this thought-provoking book, the authors explore the profound role of pronouns in how we enact our identities and relationships through language. With remarkable insights, they illuminate in detail the often-overlooked functions that pronouns serve in construing the multifaceted aspects of the human experience.

Michele Zappavigna, Associate Professor of Digital Communication, University of New South Wales, Australia

No stone is left unturned in The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns, with inspiring contributions by world-leading scholars, offering innovative analyses from all angles. Highly recommended for linguists, psychologists, neuroscientists, students, teachers and a general readership.

Lucía Loureiro-Porto, Associate Professor in English, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain

A welcome wealth of resources for the study of pronouns, the small giants in language processing. A must-read for seasoned scholars as well as for aspiring ones.

Luis H. González, Professor of Spanish and Linguistics, Wake Forest University, USA



Table of Contents

1 The little words that mean a lot

Laura L. Paterson

PART 1: HISTORY AND CHANGE

2 Variation in pronoun typologies

Heather Bliss, Richard Compton, and Dennis Ryan Storoshenko

3 A history of personal pronouns in Standard English

Mikko Laitinen

4 On the alleged stability of pronouns: The influence of language contact and social intervention

Peter Siemund

5 Grammaticalization as a process for pronoun change

Gunther De Voglaer

6 The future of pronouns in the online/offline nexus

Brian W. King and Archie Crowley

PART 2: PROCESSING AND CATEGORISATION

7 Pronouns in the brain

Joanna Porkert, Hanneke Loerts, Anja Schüppert and Merel Keijzer

8 Pronouns and aphasia

Eleni Peristeri

9 Pronoun comprehension

Jennifer E. Arnold

10 Personal pronouns and noun phrases as shifters in Southeast Asian languages

Dwi Noverini Djenar

11 Alternative pronominal items: Noncanonical pronouns in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Afrikaans

Chenchen Song, Li Nguyen and Theresa Biberauer

PART 3: ACQUISITION AND LANGUAGE LEARNING

12 How children acquire L1 pronouns

Petra Hendriks

13 Bilingual acquisition: More object pronouns at once

Katrin Schmitz

14 Deixis in the manual modality: Insights from diverse signing communication systems

Jenny C. Lu and Diane Lillo-Martin

15 Acquisition of Pronouns in Creole Languages

Dany Adone and Tamirand De Lisser

16 Use of anaphoric reference by second language writers: From empirical data to pedagogy in the classroom

Masumi Narita and Mark Freiermuth

PART 4: MAKING PRONOUNS PERSONAL

17 T/V in the 21st century: A case study of French

Kimberley Pager-McClymont, Sarah Eichhorn and Amélie Doche

18 Pronouns as shibboleths: Prescriptive attitudes to case forms

Linda Pillière

19 Identifying who uses first person singular pronouns and the psychological impacts this language may have

Nicholas S. Holtzman and Logan C. Delgado

20 Strategic uses of pronoun drop in economic decision-making

Tai-Sen He

21 What does it mean when a computer says I?

Andrew Gargett

PART 5: POWER AND POLITICS

22 The role of pronouns in the race debate: George Floyd and BLM protests

Zeynep Cihan Koca-Helvaci

23 'They really eat anything don't they?': Pronoun use in Covid-19-related anti-Asian racism

Ursula Kania

24 Pronoun use in cross-cultural therapy sessions

Nahed Arafat

25 Politicians’ pronouns: Who is 'we'? Negotiating national collectivities in Taiwan’s authoritarian period

Jennifer M. Wei

26 Strategic use of pronouns among lingua franca English users in a university project-based learning programme

Satomi Ura and Hiromasa Tanaka

27 Pronoun activism and the power of animacy

Laure Gardelle

PART 6: GENDERED PRONOUNS AND BEYOND

28 Epicene pronouns new and old

Charlotte Stormbom

29 Gender-neutrality and clitics

Ashley Reilly-Thornton

30 Gender binaries in constructed languages

Angela Zottola

31 Non-binary singular they

Lex Konnelly, Kirby Conrod, and Evan D. Bradley

32 Individuals' pronoun choice: A case study of transgender speakers in Berlin, Germany

Olga Steriopolo and Harley Aussoleil

33 Misgendering in the media

Kat Gupta

The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Wed 1 Jul 2026.

    A Hardback by Laura L. Paterson

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      View other formats and editions of The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns by Laura L. Paterson

      Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      Publication Date: 12/7/2023 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9781032394749, 978-1032394749
      ISBN10: 1032394749

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      This original volume provides the first state-of-the-art overview of research on pronouns in the 21st century. With its dedicated sections on grammar, history, and change, language learning/acquisition, cognition and comprehension, power, politics, and identity, The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns shows that contemporary interest in pronouns and gender represents just the tip of the iceberg.

      Led by Laura Paterson, a transdisciplinary collection of experts discuss the global history of different pronoun systems, synthesize the literature, and contextualize the salient issues and current debates shaping research on pronouns across different spheres and via different theoretical-methodological traditions. The Handbook is designed to encourage readers to engage with a range of perspectives from within and beyond their immediate areas of interest, with the ultimate aim of shaping the future trajectory of interdisciplinary, multiingual research on pronouns.

      Usin

      Trade Review

      In this thought-provoking book, the authors explore the profound role of pronouns in how we enact our identities and relationships through language. With remarkable insights, they illuminate in detail the often-overlooked functions that pronouns serve in construing the multifaceted aspects of the human experience.

      Michele Zappavigna, Associate Professor of Digital Communication, University of New South Wales, Australia

      No stone is left unturned in The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns, with inspiring contributions by world-leading scholars, offering innovative analyses from all angles. Highly recommended for linguists, psychologists, neuroscientists, students, teachers and a general readership.

      Lucía Loureiro-Porto, Associate Professor in English, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain

      A welcome wealth of resources for the study of pronouns, the small giants in language processing. A must-read for seasoned scholars as well as for aspiring ones.

      Luis H. González, Professor of Spanish and Linguistics, Wake Forest University, USA



      Table of Contents

      1 The little words that mean a lot

      Laura L. Paterson

      PART 1: HISTORY AND CHANGE

      2 Variation in pronoun typologies

      Heather Bliss, Richard Compton, and Dennis Ryan Storoshenko

      3 A history of personal pronouns in Standard English

      Mikko Laitinen

      4 On the alleged stability of pronouns: The influence of language contact and social intervention

      Peter Siemund

      5 Grammaticalization as a process for pronoun change

      Gunther De Voglaer

      6 The future of pronouns in the online/offline nexus

      Brian W. King and Archie Crowley

      PART 2: PROCESSING AND CATEGORISATION

      7 Pronouns in the brain

      Joanna Porkert, Hanneke Loerts, Anja Schüppert and Merel Keijzer

      8 Pronouns and aphasia

      Eleni Peristeri

      9 Pronoun comprehension

      Jennifer E. Arnold

      10 Personal pronouns and noun phrases as shifters in Southeast Asian languages

      Dwi Noverini Djenar

      11 Alternative pronominal items: Noncanonical pronouns in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Afrikaans

      Chenchen Song, Li Nguyen and Theresa Biberauer

      PART 3: ACQUISITION AND LANGUAGE LEARNING

      12 How children acquire L1 pronouns

      Petra Hendriks

      13 Bilingual acquisition: More object pronouns at once

      Katrin Schmitz

      14 Deixis in the manual modality: Insights from diverse signing communication systems

      Jenny C. Lu and Diane Lillo-Martin

      15 Acquisition of Pronouns in Creole Languages

      Dany Adone and Tamirand De Lisser

      16 Use of anaphoric reference by second language writers: From empirical data to pedagogy in the classroom

      Masumi Narita and Mark Freiermuth

      PART 4: MAKING PRONOUNS PERSONAL

      17 T/V in the 21st century: A case study of French

      Kimberley Pager-McClymont, Sarah Eichhorn and Amélie Doche

      18 Pronouns as shibboleths: Prescriptive attitudes to case forms

      Linda Pillière

      19 Identifying who uses first person singular pronouns and the psychological impacts this language may have

      Nicholas S. Holtzman and Logan C. Delgado

      20 Strategic uses of pronoun drop in economic decision-making

      Tai-Sen He

      21 What does it mean when a computer says I?

      Andrew Gargett

      PART 5: POWER AND POLITICS

      22 The role of pronouns in the race debate: George Floyd and BLM protests

      Zeynep Cihan Koca-Helvaci

      23 'They really eat anything don't they?': Pronoun use in Covid-19-related anti-Asian racism

      Ursula Kania

      24 Pronoun use in cross-cultural therapy sessions

      Nahed Arafat

      25 Politicians’ pronouns: Who is 'we'? Negotiating national collectivities in Taiwan’s authoritarian period

      Jennifer M. Wei

      26 Strategic use of pronouns among lingua franca English users in a university project-based learning programme

      Satomi Ura and Hiromasa Tanaka

      27 Pronoun activism and the power of animacy

      Laure Gardelle

      PART 6: GENDERED PRONOUNS AND BEYOND

      28 Epicene pronouns new and old

      Charlotte Stormbom

      29 Gender-neutrality and clitics

      Ashley Reilly-Thornton

      30 Gender binaries in constructed languages

      Angela Zottola

      31 Non-binary singular they

      Lex Konnelly, Kirby Conrod, and Evan D. Bradley

      32 Individuals' pronoun choice: A case study of transgender speakers in Berlin, Germany

      Olga Steriopolo and Harley Aussoleil

      33 Misgendering in the media

      Kat Gupta

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