#singularthey — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #singularthey, aggregated by home.social.
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Ireland is stuck in a legal drama over an ex-teacher. #EnochBurke and his large family of religious fundamentalist headbangers are in a four-year battle with #WilsonsHospital school. The dispute began with the school's request that staff respect a pupil's request that when a pronoun is used, they be referred to by the prounoun "they".
#SingularThey is at least 651 years old, which may be a bit modern for the #BurkeFamily.
The #OED tells the story at https://www.oed.com/discover/a-brief-history-of-singular-they/
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Ireland is stuck in a legal drama over an ex-teacher. #EnochBurke and his large family of religious fundamentalist headbangers are in a four-year battle with #WilsonsHospital school. The dispute began with the school's request that staff respect a pupil's request that when a pronoun is used, they be referred to by the prounoun "they".
#SingularThey is at least 651 years old, which may be a bit modern for the #BurkeFamily.
The #OED tells the story at https://www.oed.com/discover/a-brief-history-of-singular-they/
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Ireland is stuck in a legal drama over an ex-teacher. #EnochBurke and his large family of religious fundamentalist headbangers are in a four-year battle with #WilsonsHospital school. The dispute began with the school's request that staff respect a pupil's request that when a pronoun is used, they be referred to by the prounoun "they".
#SingularThey is at least 651 years old, which may be a bit modern for the #BurkeFamily.
The #OED tells the story at https://www.oed.com/discover/a-brief-history-of-singular-they/
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#HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity uses the singular “they”. “Help Zelda make their way to the Targeted Position” kind of thing. First #Nintendo game to do this?
And, hey, listen, even if it’s some sort of solution to a technical problem (maybe the developers can’t be sure if it’s one character or many, or who it is, or something like that), it’s still a great argument for gender-neutral language. It’s simpler!
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Hubby sent me this a while back. It seemed appropriate to share.
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Hubby sent me this a while back. It seemed appropriate to share.
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Now seems like a good time to share this article. Singular ‘they’ has been around since 1375, but some browser developer thinks it's too ‘political’.
https://www.oed.com/discover/a-brief-history-of-singular-they/?tl=true
#Ladybird #LadybirdBrowser #SingularThey #OED #OxfordEnglishDictionary
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Now seems like a good time to share this article. Singular ‘they’ has been around since 1375, but some browser developer thinks it's too ‘political’.
https://www.oed.com/discover/a-brief-history-of-singular-they/?tl=true
#Ladybird #LadybirdBrowser #SingularThey #OED #OxfordEnglishDictionary
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One of the best masters dissertations I've ever had the pleasure of supervising is "Perception and production of singular They in British English" by Nadir Junco, now available online: https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/41355
"...reading time data indicates a significant demographic effect which has not been reported in previous studies..."
Check it out!!
#linguistics #sociolinguistics #queer #genderqueer #nonbinary #trans #pronouns #research #new #newresearch #singularthey #they
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One of the best masters dissertations I've ever had the pleasure of supervising is "Perception and production of singular They in British English" by Nadir Junco, now available online: https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/41355
"...reading time data indicates a significant demographic effect which has not been reported in previous studies..."
Check it out!!
#linguistics #sociolinguistics #queer #genderqueer #nonbinary #trans #pronouns #research #new #newresearch #singularthey #they
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Nadir Junco summarises the evidence about #singularThey in English before comparing British and American varieties
An experiment asking participants to fill in pronouns for a variety of antecedents found that people find it the most difficult to use 'they' following a proper name reference — especially those who don't personally know anyone who uses they/them pronouns #LGaS14
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Nadir Junco summarises the evidence about #singularThey in English before comparing British and American varieties
An experiment asking participants to fill in pronouns for a variety of antecedents found that people find it the most difficult to use 'they' following a proper name reference — especially those who don't personally know anyone who uses they/them pronouns #LGaS14
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If you are having problems remembering to use the right pronouns for your nonbinary friend, one helpful tool is to save them in your phone contacts list with They as their surname, so that you get reminded every time you call them or SMS them.
For example,
Kim They
James They
Sarah They -
If you are having problems remembering to use the right pronouns for your nonbinary friend, one helpful tool is to save them in your phone contacts list with They as their surname, so that you get reminded every time you call them or SMS them.
For example,
Kim They
James They
Sarah They -
Jezebel: Sex. Celebrity. Politics. With Teeth: Bella Ramsey Defends Queer Storylines in The Last of Us: 'Get Used to It' https://jezebel.com/bella-ramsey-defends-queer-storylines-on-the-last-of-us-1850114567 #Jezebel #modernenglishpersonalpronouns #entertainment2cculture #genderneutrallanguage #catherinecalledbirdy #thirdpersonpronoun #grammaticalgender #ramsey2cnewjersey #joelpedropascal #singularthey #pedropascual #bellaramsey #linguistics #elizabeth #language #pronouns #grammar #queer #frank
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But what is this new use?
Is it limited to technical language? A sort of extension of the "don't insert yourself" rule against first-person pronouns? Like, maybe "they" feels more aloof and objective than "he" or "she"?
Or are people starting to use "they/them/their as a default third-person pronoun, without needing a *reason* to avoid the gendered alternatives?
#singularThey (3/3)
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This is a new level of #singularThey for me, and I so want to know what it signals.
I'm used to it conveying uncertainty (that's the age-old meaning).
I'm also familiar with using they/them/their as a positive choice not to assign a referent to a gender-binary category.
(2/3)
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Okay, I'm in the middle of marking a technical report in linguistics, and I've now seen this several times. Student identifies a participant as "male" or "female", and then immediately talks about "their age" or "their first language".
#singularThey (1/3)
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Okay, I'm in the middle of marking a technical report in linguistics, and I've now seen this several times. Student identifies a participant as "male" or "female", and then immediately talks about "their age" or "their first language".
#singularThey (1/3)
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One thing I still find myself getting pedantic about, and editing out when I see it, is 'they' used for organisations.
I particularly hate it when used for corporations: "Coles said they are now giving out free apples too."
I wonder if people intuitively think of institutions and organisations as indefinite in a sinister, even conspiratorial sense: "They're watching you." As my cooker brother likes to say, a conspiracy always involves a group of "one or more people". It is plural!
However, I have been using 'they' myself throughout this thread to refer to the various style guides, because I reason that any style guide is a collaborative production so 'they' is the editorial team.
My general rule is that organisations should be treated as singular, not plural, unless a consensus action or decision is implied. Politically, I prefer to emphasise that a corporation acts as a singular entity, but is not a person. So it should not get to shelter under the singular they.
There's a perfectly good pronoun for nonhuman singular agents:
"Coles said it is now giving out free apples too."
But: "The Coles board have approved the free apple scheme."
Animals are a tricky case because we get so anthropomorphic about them, but if the sex or gender of an animal is unknown I reckon you can also use 'it':
"As I picked up the baby chick to determine its sex, it made adorable cheeping noises."
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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One thing I still find myself getting pedantic about, and editing out when I see it, is 'they' used for organisations.
I particularly hate it when used for corporations: "Coles said they are now giving out free apples too."
I wonder if people intuitively think of institutions and organisations as indefinite in a sinister, even conspiratorial sense: "They're watching you." As my cooker brother likes to say, a conspiracy always involves a group of "one or more people". It is plural!
However, I have been using 'they' myself throughout this thread to refer to the various style guides, because I reason that any style guide is a collaborative production so 'they' is the editorial team.
My general rule is that organisations should be treated as singular, not plural, unless a consensus action or decision is implied. Politically, I prefer to emphasise that a corporation acts as a singular entity, but is not a person. So it should not get to shelter under the singular they.
There's a perfectly good pronoun for nonhuman singular agents:
"Coles said it is now giving out free apples too."
But: "The Coles board have approved the free apple scheme."
Animals are a tricky case because we get so anthropomorphic about them, but if the sex or gender of an animal is unknown I reckon you can also use 'it':
"As I picked up the baby chick to determine its sex, it made adorable cheeping noises."
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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But the reflexive pronoun poses a challenge. Some people prefer 'themself' as a singular option, because 'themselves' just _feels_ too plural.
#ChicagoManualOfStyle prefers 'themself' but allows 'themselves'.
The AU Govt #StyleManual prefers 'themselves' but allows 'themself'.
#APA says, "Both 'themselves' and 'themself' are acceptable as reflexive singular pronouns; however, 'themselves' is currently the more common usage."
One big challenge of gender-neutral writing is getting used to the roll between singular and plural when the sentence uses someone's name and then their pronoun. This isn't intuitively 'good grammar' for many people.
I am okay with the shift between "Ali wants a free apple and they want to find their keys" but I kind of struggle with 'themself', which I know some people find more safely singular.
I'd rather use 'themselves', which I think most people instinctively reach for in colloquial settings when the subject is unknown.
I used the following example in a Facebook writers' group, where it was greeted with mirth: "Smells like someone shat themselves."
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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But the reflexive pronoun poses a challenge. Some people prefer 'themself' as a singular option, because 'themselves' just _feels_ too plural.
#ChicagoManualOfStyle prefers 'themself' but allows 'themselves'.
The AU Govt #StyleManual prefers 'themselves' but allows 'themself'.
#APA says, "Both 'themselves' and 'themself' are acceptable as reflexive singular pronouns; however, 'themselves' is currently the more common usage."
One big challenge of gender-neutral writing is getting used to the roll between singular and plural when the sentence uses someone's name and then their pronoun. This isn't intuitively 'good grammar' for many people.
I am okay with the shift between "Ali wants a free apple and they want to find their keys" but I kind of struggle with 'themself', which I know some people find more safely singular.
I'd rather use 'themselves', which I think most people instinctively reach for in colloquial settings when the subject is unknown.
I used the following example in a Facebook writers' group, where it was greeted with mirth: "Smells like someone shat themselves."
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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#APStyle prefers replacing a nonbinary person's pronoun with their name, and to mention in the story that they use gender-neutral pronouns.
#APA embraces the singular they: "because it is inclusive of all people and helps writers avoid making assumptions about gender. Although usage of the singular 'they' was once discouraged in academic writing, many advocacy groups and publishers have accepted and endorsed it, including Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary."
#ChicagoManualOfStyle recommended the singular they in its 14th edition but then got cold feet and rescinded the recommendation in the 15th and 16th editions, but lol, the 17th edition is okay with it, but in 'formal writing' they recommend avoiding it through the following strategies:
– omit pronoun
– repeat the noun, as AP recommends (though they do say, "Take care not to overuse this technique." LOL)
– use plurals or the imperative mood, as AU Govt Style recommends
– use an article instead of a pronoun (e.g. 'the application' instead of 'their application')
– use the pronoun 'one'. But weirdly their example doesn't use it the way I would, e.g. "One must always be careful." #CMOS is like, "An actor in New York earns more than one in Paducah."
CMOS also notes that the singular they is more accepted in UK usage than US usage.
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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#APStyle prefers replacing a nonbinary person's pronoun with their name, and to mention in the story that they use gender-neutral pronouns.
#APA embraces the singular they: "because it is inclusive of all people and helps writers avoid making assumptions about gender. Although usage of the singular 'they' was once discouraged in academic writing, many advocacy groups and publishers have accepted and endorsed it, including Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary."
#ChicagoManualOfStyle recommended the singular they in its 14th edition but then got cold feet and rescinded the recommendation in the 15th and 16th editions, but lol, the 17th edition is okay with it, but in 'formal writing' they recommend avoiding it through the following strategies:
– omit pronoun
– repeat the noun, as AP recommends (though they do say, "Take care not to overuse this technique." LOL)
– use plurals or the imperative mood, as AU Govt Style recommends
– use an article instead of a pronoun (e.g. 'the application' instead of 'their application')
– use the pronoun 'one'. But weirdly their example doesn't use it the way I would, e.g. "One must always be careful." #CMOS is like, "An actor in New York earns more than one in Paducah."
CMOS also notes that the singular they is more accepted in UK usage than US usage.
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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Here's what some major style guides say:
The Australian Government #StyleManual strongly favours the singular they: "Our use of language reflects changes in society. There is wide agreement about using language to support equality between all genders."
Because users of AU Govt Style are often working with institutional or bureaucratic text, they recommend:
– rephrasing in the second person with an instructional tone: "You must provide copies of your application to your referees."
– using plural pronouns: "Candidates must provide copies of their applications to their referees."
– avoiding pronouns altogether: "Every candidate must provide copies of the application to referees."
As an aside, I am not really a fan of AU Govt Style's preference to hyphenate 'gender-fluid', 'gender-queer' and 'non-binary'. I prefer to run them together: genderfluid; genderqueer; nonbinary.
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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Here's what some major style guides say:
The Australian Government #StyleManual strongly favours the singular they: "Our use of language reflects changes in society. There is wide agreement about using language to support equality between all genders."
Because users of AU Govt Style are often working with institutional or bureaucratic text, they recommend:
– rephrasing in the second person with an instructional tone: "You must provide copies of your application to your referees."
– using plural pronouns: "Candidates must provide copies of their applications to their referees."
– avoiding pronouns altogether: "Every candidate must provide copies of the application to referees."
As an aside, I am not really a fan of AU Govt Style's preference to hyphenate 'gender-fluid', 'gender-queer' and 'non-binary'. I prefer to run them together: genderfluid; genderqueer; nonbinary.
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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Re: my previously boosted tweet about the nongendered singular 'they' in English: what convinced me that this is legitimate in formal writing contexts is that it just flows better in a sentence than clunky binary constructs like 'he or she' and 'himself or herself' or the more awkward '(s)he' and 's/he'.
We still conjugate the singular 'they' with plural verbs. It's what we instinctively reach for with an indefinite pronoun (someone, anyone, everyone), or when a sentence agent is unknown:
"Free apples: anyone can take one if they want."
"Someone lost their keys."
"Ali dropped their keys as they were picking up a free apple."
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
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Re: my previously boosted tweet about the nongendered singular 'they' in English: what convinced me that this is legitimate in formal writing contexts is that it just flows better in a sentence than clunky binary constructs like 'he or she' and 'himself or herself' or the more awkward '(s)he' and 's/he'.
We still conjugate the singular 'they' with plural verbs. It's what we instinctively reach for with an indefinite pronoun (someone, anyone, everyone), or when a sentence agent is unknown:
"Free apples: anyone can take one if they want."
"Someone lost their keys."
"Ali dropped their keys as they were picking up a free apple."
#language #they #SingularThey #InclusiveLanguage #Writing #Editing
