I Don't Think She's Got The Hang Of This Non Binary Personal Pronoun Cobras!

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-57169541
"Today is a day I'm so happy to share more of my life with you all," -
err: "Today is a day We are so happy to share more of our lives with you all," ??

"I'm doing this for those out there that haven't been able to share who they truly are with their loved ones," -
err: "We're doing this for those out there that haven't been able to share who they truly are with their loved ones," ??

If you are going to do this bow locks then at least learn the correct terms!

[Mamyalynne]

Well, for what it's worth - you have mine.

[pixie374]

I know- thank you.

[New Judge]

//It is quite normal English... as ellipsis showed earlier.//

It isn't normal (well not where I come from, anyway) to say "Michelle went to the hospital. They said they were treated very well." Nor "I stood behind a woman in the queue. They told me they had been there for twenty minutes." It might be normal (though incorrect) to say "What time is the nurse coming? Will they give me an injection?" Personally I would say "Will she or he give me an injection?" But that's just me.

I've never heard of "Xe", pixie. If I had I would assume it was a misprint. Is there anything for "His/Hers"?

[pixie374]

Zim is him/ her
Zir is his/hers.

Why they are based on male pronouns, I don't know.

[pixie374]

The PC word now also, is womxn. As, in spite of removing that part- it also includes men.

[burlyshirley]

When I went to school, I was taught that they and their are plural and me, my, her, him, she etc etc are singular and that is the way I will continue with my life, but then again I was a school kid before the world lost the plot and 'woke stupidity rules ok' !!

[Ellipsis]

Thanks for that link, Mamya.

> The singular they emerged by the 14th century, about a century after the plural they.

Wow, some people just can't let it go, can they?

[pixie374]

Hardly the point, ellipsis. As you say, we all use it if we don't know the sex of someone.

[Togo]

@12.50 //try as I may I cannot find anything intolerant to speak of. //

In the "adjustments" of the meaning of words(1984 again) anyone who does not agree with you is intolerant. Other words that were meant to alter your perceptions, and ways of communicating, have been overused and therefor have no impact( fascist, racist, xenophobic, etc.) therefore a never ending conveyor belt of new and exciting definitions must be contrived. Intolerant, is apparently, the new go to word when trying to close down scrutiny from the wrong quarters. How very neat. Showing that you care about societies directionless obsessions ... means that you are uncaring. It is like a schizophrenic contest to discover the most "unique"( other adjectives are available but may indicate intolerance) individual to be the supreme leader in a dystopian future Tower of Babel.

[New Judge]

//I rather doubt that anyone in a supermarket queue or on a bus would be overly offended at a wrong pronoun, that would be expecting too much.//

Really? Well, "Laurence, the non-binary union rep" on the LNER train last week objected to "Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys & Girls" on the basis that it was not inclusive enough. I should imagine he/she, his/hers wouldn't go down too well:

https://metro.co.uk/2021/05/14/lner-apologises-after-staff-said-good-afternoon-ladies-and-gentlemen-14581444/

[Untitled]

You are wrong if you think singular "they" is not common or acceptable English... there is no reason at all that it can't be extended to people who don't want to go by he/she...

In terms of average people... I agree the person who complained on the train was unreasonable... but that is not any reason to complain about some singer deciding to call themselves nonbinary... A lot of this just seems to be kneejerk complaining about people who are different.

[Mamyalynne]

Laurence said on their bio they represent the Rail, Maritime and Transport trade union.

He took it to LNER and it's being dealt with.

Is it petty?

Yes, I think it is.

They could simply announce 'Hiya!' and I'd be happy.

[New Judge]

//You are wrong if you think singular "they" is not common or acceptable English..//

I beg to differ. It is in the circumstances I described. There is no reason to refer to a single person who is before you or whose identity you know as "they". I will agree it is acceptable when the sex of the person is unknown.

More than that, in order for it to be effective it must be applied to everybody, whether the individual is "non-binary" or not. Otherwise you have to enquire of the gender status of everybody you address or refer to. The overwhelming majority of people are perfectly happy, in fact would definitely prefer to be referred to as he/she, him/her. To refer to those people as "they" is simply disrespectful. I've no objection to non-binary people devising their own pronouns (and it seems they have). But "they" is simply wrong and to cajole people into using it just because it is convenient is disingenuous. That, of course, still leaves the problem of determining what "social construction" the individuals have assumed. The easiest way for non-binary people to avoid being offended or not included by personal pronouns is to simply accept being referred toby their biological sex.

[Untitled]

"There is no reason to refer to a single person who is before you or whose identity you know as "they". I will agree it is acceptable when the sex of the person is unknown. "

If you agree that it can be used for an unknown singular person then there is no reason it cannot be used on a singular person who prefers it... there is no grammatical rule here, you just don't like it.