tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post4175663074568327905..comments2024-03-28T12:01:31.049-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: The Singular "They" by KM Rockwood Jim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-79035632621807398472020-01-14T12:45:45.650-05:002020-01-14T12:45:45.650-05:00Interesting question about gender-rendering langua...Interesting question about gender-rendering languages.<br /><br />If a person expresses a preference, I think it's respectful to try to honor that.<br /><br />English, and us, will adjust to some form of this. Perhaps in a way we can't anticipate now. The language has been moving away from gender specificity. When was the last time you heard of a woman being referred to as a "cookette?" Many terms have migrated to non-specific: mail carrier, firefighter and such. Some still seem to retain the gender bias in form, but not in practice. "She's my foreman."<br />KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-27022825797399426502020-01-14T09:45:18.335-05:002020-01-14T09:45:18.335-05:00I also grew up under the Grammar Hammer, and admit...I also grew up under the Grammar Hammer, and admit that the plural can trip me up, but I always try to use a person's preferred pronoun. <br />I remember hearing awhile back that "zee" was being suggested as a nonbinary pronoun, but haven't heard anything about this lately.Shari Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16425493627354028820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-50308889276968311222020-01-14T08:57:17.311-05:002020-01-14T08:57:17.311-05:00We have a non-binary person in our family (doesn&#...We have a non-binary person in our family (doesn't identify with either gender) who prefers to be called they. As I write this hardly keep from saying "she" and "her" but out of affection and respect, I try hard. The singular "they" doesn't trip off my tongue easily, so I usually try to avoid pronouns. I don't think I'd be comfortable with singular "they' in my writing.judyalterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13767466505891813090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-2523834183690719922020-01-14T08:32:15.783-05:002020-01-14T08:32:15.783-05:00Kait asks a valid question about gender rendering ...Kait asks a valid question about gender rendering languages, one I haven't seen addressed in the press or social media.<br /><br />I was fine with "Ms." and I'm fine with gender neutrality, too. Margaret S. Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07810307017440257313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-28714459697169514312020-01-14T03:55:37.812-05:002020-01-14T03:55:37.812-05:00I too remember the Ms. Miss. Mrs. brouhaha. Frankl...I too remember the Ms. Miss. Mrs. brouhaha. Frankly, I'm fine with all three, but the use of the plural to indicate gender neutrality does grate on my ears, too. Most likely because the usage wasn't correct in the days when grammar was being drilled into my head. Mentally, I apply a red pencil to it. <br /><br />Your blog brings up another question. How are gender rendering languages coping? I remember a French teacher in high school telling a room of giggling girls, "Le sexe est masculin." A sexist statement even in the 1960s, but grammatically correct. Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.com