Oxford English Dictionary
The honorific's place in the Oxford Dictionary would mark a major cultural change Flickr/EMDOT

If Bruce Jenner can switch genders, why can't language? It might be on the horizon. Oxford English Dictionary managers are considering officially recognizing the gender-neutral honorific "Mx" in their big book of words.

"This is an example of how the English language adapts to people's needs, with people using language in ways that suit them rather than letting language dictate identity to them," the dictionary's assistant editor Jonathan Dent told the Sunday Times.

The decision to include the title — pronounced "Mix" or "Mux" — along with Mr, Mrs, Miss and the more modern Ms would be a significant step in cultural acceptance of different variations of gender identity.

Mx was first used in the US in 1977 in the magazine Single Parent, according to the Times. But it has gained far wider acceptance in the UK. Mx was initially used officially on Brighton and Hove council forms two years ago following a vote.

Some British public agencies, banks — including the Royal Bank of Scotland — universities and the Royal Mail have also adopted the title, and it has quietly made its way onto several official forms and databases.

Sweden became one of the first countries to add a gender neutral pronoun to its dictionary, after the word hen — an alteration of han (he) and hon (she) – became commonly used.