Riism
Ri (Esperanto pronunciation: [ri] ⓘ, possessive: ria [ˈri.a] ⓘ) is a singular third-person gender-neutral pronoun[1] in Esperanto intended as an alternative to the gender-specific li ("he") and ŝi ("she"). It is used by some speakers when the gender of a person is not known or when it is not desirable to specify them as either a "he" or "she", similar to how singular they is used in English. In Esperanto, the usage of this pronoun is called riismo ([ri.ˈis.mo] ⓘ, literally "ri-ism"); it is one of several proposals for gender-neutral pronouns in Esperanto.
On 12 May 2020, Marcos Cramer, a member of the Akademio de Esperanto, published an empirical study on the usage of gender-neutral pronouns in Esperanto. The study concludes by saying that the pronoun ri is now much more widely known and used than ten years ago, and that this development is stronger among young people. It found that the pronoun is very widely used when referring to non-binary people, but that the usage of the pronoun to refer to a non-specific person is practiced at a considerable level as well.[2]
The pronoun is not officially endorsed by the Akademio de Esperanto, but some members of the academy use it nevertheless. On 24 June 2020 the advisory body of the academy responded to a question on pronouns for non-binary people:[3]
The question touches on a difficult topic, because in Esperanto there is no traditional pronoun for people who identify as not belonging to one of the traditional genders, and so far no expression has been accepted by the entire language community.
The Akademio de Esperanto carefully observes, analyzes and discusses current language evolution and language debates. As a purely advisory body, but in no way decisive, the Lingva Konsultejo cannot now anticipate a recommendation or other decision or interpretation of the Fundamento that may be made by the Academy.[3]
The pronoun has also been used in lyrics by various musicians, most notably in multiple songs by the band La Perdita Generacio.[4]