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 topic : Re: Can I use they/them pronouns in a medieval style fantasy novel? I'm writing a book and I'd really love to include a person with they/them pronouns. However, the novel takes place in a sort

Angela458 @Angela458

Several answers say or imply that the use of "they" to mean a single person of unspecified sex is a recent development in English. This is not true -- that usage dates to the 1300s.Some very well known and well thought of writers used it, including Shakespeare. However it was not in fashion during the 19th C nor most of the 20th, so it will seem "new" to many readers.
Many languages other than English did have a way to refer to a person of unspecified sex. (Some are Classic Greek, Classic Latin, Armenian, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, and Mandarin Chinese). If such a language is being spoken at the time/place of your story "they" might be a reasonable translation. Some explanation of this might be a good idea (particularly if non-gender pronouns are used sometimes but not always), provided it can be worked in without breaking the flow. Perhaps a character will comment on the usage of another character and what it means.
If your work uses an invented language, then you are free to devise its grammar at will. Many fantasies have followed Tolkien in doing this, but it is not always a good idea for those less skilled with language than he was. Or only a few words of th "actual" language may be given.
Note that a person refereed to by a non-gendered pronoun need not be a person of non-binary orientation. Non-gendered pronouns were often used mrely to avoid being specific when not needed.
Some ancient societies were much more tolerant of non-heterosexual people and actions than others, including classic Greek society. If your work is set in something very close to a historical society, you may want to look at the practice then and there, The more it is its own invented thing, the more you are free to design it yourself.
In short you can handle this in any of several ways. But you may want to explain what the usage meant in your society, if it is significant, or would be distracting. How major a point you make of this depends on what you are trying to say.

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