https://pixabay.com/en/girl-english-dictionary-study-2771936/
• The feminist movement of the ‘70s caused an awareness
of the need for a singular neutral pronoun in the English language. Many other
languages have a neutral pronoun for both singular and plural. Pronouns are
considered a “closed class” and therefore are not something easily changed. Many
attempts were made at creating a new pronoun but none were accepted by the
English-speaking world. The easiest solution would be to use “they” as our
singular neutral pronoun, but not everyone agrees. The linguist John McWhorter
says, “English speakers have been using ‘they’ in the singular for eons.”
Regardless of this fact, there is still argument as to whether or not it is
acceptable because “they” is a plural pronoun being used for a singular
antecedent in a sentence like, “Tell each student to hand in their homework.”
•
The “Oxford comma” is still a point of debate in
the editing world. The Chicago Manual of Style insists on its use, but other
style guides, such as the Associated Press, do not use it. Those who insist on
it can prove that if it is not used in a series of items, then there can be
confusion as to what the author is trying to convey.
•
Language “death” is a concern in the linguistic
world. Many linguists are passionate about saving the languages throughout the
world that are dying off at alarming rates. Others feel that there is nothing
that can be done about it, and that it appears to be a hopeless task. The world
renown linguist David Crystal looks at both sides of this issue in his book Language Death.
Crystal,
D. (2000, 2014). Language Death. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
The issue that I am most passionate about is the need for a
singular neutral pronoun. I have been studying linguistics and linguistic
change for over five years. The most important thing I’ve learned is than
language changes. If we have been using “they” as a singular neutral pronoun
for hundreds of years, then why are we still arguing about whether or not we
can use it as such? Just because it is technically plural is not reason enough
to decide that it can’t also be used as a singular pronoun: we’re already using
it that way anyway!
I think language changes naturally. I think forcing a pronoun that many people don't want to use in specific contexts is, well, forceful. And unnecessary. I don't think I've ever heard of a word be presented like gender-neutral pronouns. Groups advocating seem to think, "Today we decided that 'they' is neutral and that we can't use he/she anymore." Words come from literature, the internet, speeches and they are naturally integrated into society by common, willful usage. (I mean, I remember when America was just going to wake up one day and use the metric system) I'm not saying changing the pronoun is inherently bad, but if society doesn't use/doesn't WANT to use 'they' as a gender-neutral, singular pronoun, isn't that okay too?
ReplyDeleteI recently listened to the episode "The Rise of They" from John McWhorter's podcast, and he discussed some history of the word: "They" was being used as singular all the way back to the 1400s. Even Shakespeare did it sometimes! "You" was also used at some point to be only singular but no one complains about that now! It could be interesting to take a look at other words that have changed like that. "He/she" is clumsy and as such is not widely used, but "they" is becoming increasingly natural; I don't even blink at its use anymore. People aren't going to be forced to use "they," it's happening naturally. It's not society that is against it—it's select individuals who want to conserve the usage for the sake of following an arbitrary rule.
DeleteAs an English major, I have spent a lot of time discussing the oxford comma. I think that the arguments for clarity are stronger than the arguments against having to use it. Anything that can help make a language less murky should be welcomed in the field of communication and language in my opinion.
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