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Roland Haller
Hello Isabel, I think I can help here a little. Your confusion comes from a misunderstanding of the word "they" that is not plural by itself but neutral. Singular they is the use in English of the pronoun they or its inflected or derivative forms, them, their, theirs, and themselves (or themself), as an epicene (gender-neutral) singular pronoun. It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, as in sentences such as:
"Somebody left their umbrella in the office. Would they please collect it?"[1]
"The patient should be told at the outset how much they will be required to pay."[2]
"But a journalist should not be forced to reveal their sources."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singula...)
So actually we use They as a plural pronoun, not because it is so, but because the plurality of individual makes it a neutral group. Cool right!?
But I agree that this sudden rise in frequency of use get some getting used to.
I do like that there is a pronoun for inanimate objects: It, for feminine and masculine entities: She and He, and also for gender unspecified entities: They.
I imagine than in some sci-fi with aliens with a plurality of sexual biological variations like a story based on coho salmon for example (lol), would develop then additional pronouns. I'd like to read that. ^^
Ps: Cool read on multiple gender structured animal societal structures.
https://tinyurl.com/genderedsocieties
"Somebody left their umbrella in the office. Would they please collect it?"[1]
"The patient should be told at the outset how much they will be required to pay."[2]
"But a journalist should not be forced to reveal their sources."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singula...)
So actually we use They as a plural pronoun, not because it is so, but because the plurality of individual makes it a neutral group. Cool right!?
But I agree that this sudden rise in frequency of use get some getting used to.
I do like that there is a pronoun for inanimate objects: It, for feminine and masculine entities: She and He, and also for gender unspecified entities: They.
I imagine than in some sci-fi with aliens with a plurality of sexual biological variations like a story based on coho salmon for example (lol), would develop then additional pronouns. I'd like to read that. ^^
Ps: Cool read on multiple gender structured animal societal structures.
https://tinyurl.com/genderedsocieties
Paul Huffman
I agree with Daniel. I think this is clearly a nod toward the current cultural support for those who consider themselves non-binary (LGBTQ). I was not very sensitive to this until about a year ago (summer 2019) when I started working with a lot of non-profits and government service organizations and encountered the rise in stating your pronouns. This is now fairly common in email signature blocks in more progressive circles. As Daniel says, the individuals in this case identifies as non-binary and their preferred pronouns are "they/their".
This strong alignment to current (early 21st century) cultural terms and practices is something I found a little limiting in the book as I expect there will be further evolution on many fronts. I would have liked the author to do more "world building" from a cultural standpoint.
This strong alignment to current (early 21st century) cultural terms and practices is something I found a little limiting in the book as I expect there will be further evolution on many fronts. I would have liked the author to do more "world building" from a cultural standpoint.
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