University details how to address students, staff with 'neopronouns' — like 'emojiself' and 'catgender'

A U.K university is providing staff guidance on how to use pronouns at work — including "emojiself pronouns" and "xenic" pronouns.

What are the details?

According to a recent report from the U.K.'s Telegraph, staffers at the University of Bristol are encouraged to use preferred personal pronouns when interacting with students or fellow staff.

Some of the newly updated pronouns include "neopronouns," which are defined as "third-person pronouns that are not officially recognized in the language they are used in," such as "ze/zir/zirs" and more.

Other pronouns are referred to as "emojiself pronouns" in which users use icons to represent their gender in electronic communications and even sometimes during spoken conversations, and even "xenic" pronouns in which users can identify themselves as anything they want — including animals, and namely those who identify as "catgender."

Those individuals, according to the report, may use personal pronouns “nya/nyan,” which is a Japanese word for “meow.”

The guide encourages staff to avoid becoming defensive if they make a mistake in using or misusing someone's personal pronouns.

"[I]t is important not to become defensive or make a big deal out of it," the guide says. "Simply thank the person for correcting you, apologize swiftly, and use the correct pronouns going forward."

The school is also encouraging staff to "declare in verbal introductions and email signatures" their own pronouns.

A spokesperson for the school told the Telegraph that the university is "committed to gender inclusion."

"The correct use of pronouns is important to some members of our University community," the statement added. "The information on our website is designed to help people understand the different variations and nuances that this covers."

The statement concluded, "There is no expectation that staff must commit every possible pronoun to memory. Using pronouns on email signatures or as part of meeting introductions is not a mandatory requirement."