vocêeleela

Vocêeleela is a neologism used in discussions of gender and pronouns within the Portuguese-speaking internet. The term concatenates "você" (you) with the third-person masculine "ele" and feminine "ela," signaling an attempt to create a gender-inclusive pronoun option.

Etymology and origins: It arises from debates about inclusive language and neopronouns in lusophone communities, where speakers experiment with pronoun sets beyond traditional "ele" and "ela" and the second-person "você." There is no single source of authority, and usage varies by group and context.

Usage: Proponents describe it as an alternative pronoun for individuals who do not identify strictly as male or female. In practice, there is no standardized grammar; communities differ on how to inflect it for subject, object, and possessive forms, and on its compatibility with verbs and sentence structure. Its acceptance tends to be limited to certain online or activist spaces.

Reception: The term has limited adoption and is primarily discussed online. In linguistics and rhetoric, it is viewed as part of a broader trend toward pronoun diversification; critics argue that it can create ambiguity, complicate communication, and pose challenges for education, documentation, and formal writing.

Related topics include neopronouns, gender-neutral language, and Portuguese pronouns.