The problem is that in Dante’s language, when it comes to masculine and feminine plural things, the masculine dominates. Such rules are often seen as a glaring manifestation of male superiority in Italian patriarchal society. In the context of a discussion that erupted in the Apennines, a proposal arose to introduce gender-neutral endings for the plural form in the form of an asterisk
or the schwa symbol, which is denoted by an inverted “e”.