xeno-aligned:

How to Coin a Gender

Can’t find a gender that works for you? Want to try your hand at the deep mysteries of coining? Here’s a rough guide on how to do just that.

While we’ll be talking about gender throughout this guide, it can work for any sort of term. 

1. The definition: make sure it’s not taken. What makes it unique? If it’s similar to another gender, what makes this one different or worth coining?
2. The name: try to keep the name short. Long names are more unique, but harder to read and remember. Think about reading comprehension and pronunciation - say it out loud. Is it difficult to say? Would non-native speakers of your language have difficulty saying it? Does it just kinda suck? If so, maybe think about changing it. 
   
   Think about the meaning of the name - a xenogender centred around fish called fishgender is simple, to the point, and easy to understand at a glance (though not very exciting!), whereas a gender with the same definition called ichthyogender (ichthyo - fish) is more interesting, but harder to pronounce (and spell). Both mean the same thing (fish+gender), so it’s up to you. Here’s a post about making terms that don’t have the word ‘gender’ in them (aka monolexic terms).
   
   If you’re making a group of terms (like the galactic alignment system, for example), or even just more that one term, can you tell them apart verbally? The galactic alignment system is a good example of this - each name is unique, but they also are very clearly part of a set.
3. Make sure it’s easy to understand. A lot of neurodivergent people have trouble with both understanding others and making themselves understood. Try to make your definition as easy as possible to understand, both in terms of reading comprehension and in understanding the actual gender. Try to get a second opinion if you can - for example, asking people in a group chat if the definition makes sense and they understand it.
4. The flag: I won’t talk about flag design here, since there are plenty of resources online (and I’m not the best at it). Here are some resources about flag design. Although having a nice looking flag is great, a pride flag isn’t necessary for your term to be good!
5. Have fun! Coining a term doesn’t have to be - and shouldn’t be - difficult, boring, or frustrating. Put passion and fun into your term, and even if no one uses it you’ll still have fun! :)