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GuairdeanBeatha t1_je1yot4 wrote

You mean THEY couldn’t figure IT out? WE are amazed!

37

ArtBuilder t1_je225g5 wrote

(they and we arent singular so I dont know why they are marked in capitals, help)

−19

Worried_Click_4559 t1_je26596 wrote

Isn't THEY and WE non-singular? Or can individuals now also choose to be plural, if they so desire?

−30

speck480 t1_je26s9f wrote

Singular they goes back to Middle English, it's not something that just happened "now."

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Worried_Click_4559 t1_je2a0ls wrote

Yes. You're right. I stand corrected as to its use. Haven't seen it attributed to Middle English (but haven't had time to research it thst much). Seems that the APA (American Psychological Association - whoever they are) also include "ze" and "hen" as less common opfions. Whoda thunk it. Live and learn. Thanks.

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speck480 t1_je2bv2p wrote

There are a few appearances in Chaucer (although tbf the grammatical rules governing pronouns changed significantly between Middle and Modern English, so it's harder to identify.)

1

snazzychica2813 t1_je2kuwg wrote

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Singular "they"

Predates singular "you"

2

elrach06 t1_je29bld wrote

Dude, you have a singular they in your second sentence...

31

Puzzleheaded-Fill205 t1_je2a4ud wrote

"individuals" is plural.

−3

elrach06 t1_je2b982 wrote

But the "they" is referring to a single individual "coosing to be plural," not all individuals collectively.

4

Puzzleheaded-Fill205 t1_je3a9ie wrote

No. If it were singular the verb would be chooses, not choose. Read the sentence again. If individuals choose, as opposed to if an individual chooses.

EDIT: Actually, in this specific example they used "can," which overrides the plural / singular distinction on the verb "choose," making it an infinitive regardless if the subject is singular or plural. ("We can choose. He can choose. I can choose. They can choose." etc...) Nevertheless, my point stands: The subject of the sentence is the word individuals, which is plural. They used "they" to refer to "individuals."

And to clarify, I agree 100% that singular they is a common usage that has been correct for centuries. You just picked a bad example because in their second sentence the "they" was referring to "individuals," which is plural, not singular. Thus it was not an example of singular they.

1

MinisculeInformant t1_je2an2d wrote

English has four genders: masculine, feminine, neuter, and nonspecific. There are four third-person singular pronouns: he, she, it, and they. Each corresponds to one grammatical gender.

"They" has been used as a singular pronoun since at least the time that Chaucer wrote the Canterbury tales, close to a thousand years ago. However, recently it has become associated with non-binary people (NBs) who prefer to be referred to as "they" rather than by a gendered pronoun. Many people in the USA are bigoted against NBs, and bigots would generally rather be hateful than factually correct.

Personally, I vastly prefer "they" over the slew of neopronouns that have been invented in the last few years.

8

DrachenDad t1_je2pbni wrote

>There are four third-person singular pronouns: he, she, it, and they.

Only one is gendered, she. He loosely, don't forget that any gender specific wording attributed to a penis haver is actually for all humans apart from the word male.

1

Worried_Click_4559 t1_je2dkrb wrote

Thanks for the advanced English grammar lesson. If I ever get that "refund" I'll send it to you.

Your last line, however, seems a bit opinionated. Such negativity doesn't bother me at all. Did my original comment (admittedly wrong) bother you? It shouldn't have.

0

MinisculeInformant t1_je2ey9i wrote

I wasn't one of the people who downvoted you, if that's what you're asking. I guessed (and it seems to be confirmed) that you just aren't used to thinking of "they" as singular.

I'll admit I am a bit opinionated on the subject of neopronouns; I have strong prescriptivist tendencies when it comes to changing language and I dislike meaningless gibberish. I won't hate or mock someone if they prefer neopronouns, but I feel like it's either reinventing the wheel (since we already have NB pronouns) or trying to force more grammatical genders into the language.

2

Worried_Click_4559 t1_je2w74s wrote

Downvotes really don't hurt me. I've already been permanently banned from various topics on Reddit due to my non-Liberal stance.

I'm a midwesterner and will continue to believe what I believe, but will consider intelligent arguments from "the other side." I will admit it when I'm shown to be wrong, but will take a bullet just not to cower.

I grew up trusting science but have lived long enough to see it politicized.

We Boomers trusted asbestos, cops and Washington. My Dad, a European immigrant, used to laugh at me for that. He was right. He would have never taken the vaccine like I did. I'm glad my youngest daughter fought against it for her and her kids.

2

sabboom t1_je2b8vj wrote

I wish school children were still taught cursive. That way they would know where the money came from when they open their birthday cards.

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G_D_Ironside t1_je1yvoo wrote

As an English teacher, this joke deserves an A+!

7

EternallyImature t1_je28zp7 wrote

You would have overlooked the poor use of punctuation and capitalization. I mean, how good of a teacher could you really be.

1

Garmgarmgarmgarm t1_je23gwu wrote

If there is an english teacher who thinks that "it" is the only singular non gendered personal pronoun in the english language, I really hope they go back to school.

−5

G_D_Ironside t1_je23p4b wrote

Yeah, this is a joke thread on Reddit. Relax. Besides, dipshit, did the joke say anything about ALL the other pronouns? Nope.

5

ArbutusPhD t1_je295zv wrote

What is going on? Are you really responding to the comment above? You seem triggered

−2

viaco12 t1_je2fh7m wrote

Actually yes, the joke did say something about all the other pronouns. It said "the singular third person pronoun other than he and she," which implies that there's only one.

I can imagine the kids listing off a ton of other pronouns that aren't "it" and the teacher has to keep adding them to the list of words they aren't looking for.

−2

Garmgarmgarmgarm t1_je24o31 wrote

Yeah I mean every trans person in the country is bracing for reactionary violence after the nashville shooting but yeah ha ha funny joke so good

−9

Interesting_Pudding9 t1_je27v0r wrote

What's up with the Nashville shooting? Legit question, there's honestly too many mass shootings in America for me to even try to keep up with.

1

Garmgarmgarmgarm t1_je28pf1 wrote

The shooter was trans. Right wingers are amplifying that fact all over twitter, acting as if one shooter out of the thousands weve had since Columbine is an indictment of trans people as a whole.

3

Interesting_Pudding9 t1_je2bps0 wrote

Thanks for the info, I'm sure I'm gonna run into some twisted rhetoric in the coming days. I'm betting there's gonna be a lot of talk about so-called "mental health" since they're so fond of equating being trans with mental illness.

2

Interesting_Pudding9 t1_je1xpwy wrote

They?

1

HippasusOfMetapontum t1_je2dcr7 wrote

Thon

https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/597154#:~:text=Converse%20announced%20that%20he%20had,55).

3

Scared-Software135 t1_je2guaj wrote

Your child is gender non-conforming, that's all, but fully 100 % either male or female. If this is your biological child, and if you're a woman, you were there when she or he was born. But they are either male or female,.. if you forget about gender and just let them flourish, they can be the entirely beautiful, healthy, happy young woman or young man I assume you want them to be without having to try to carve out an identity as non-binary when the only binary is sexual dimorphism, or male and female. I guarantee you, your child is one or the other.

1

tcwillis79 t1_je270ue wrote

I’ve read that zi is apparently acceptable but I don’t like it.

1

DrachenDad t1_je2njdd wrote

That's what all the zi ... I've been seeing is about then.

1

licketyslit t1_je2b4i8 wrote

He thought it was her, she thought it was him, they thought it was them and it said huh?

1

Waitsfornoone t1_je2138o wrote

Cousin It's father.

0

regrettablyold t1_je2ci3p wrote

Like the reference, but points off for spelling. It's Itt. (Shows up in lots of crosswords.)

2

Waitsfornoone t1_je2dxgt wrote

TIL Cousin It is really from the Itt family, and they have nothing to do with the digital world we live in.

1

Beowulf1896 t1_je2d6tp wrote

I asked my non binary child. Thon didn't know either.

0

KermitMadMan t1_je1ynx8 wrote

It lol

Do I win a red balloon?

−3

dmt_alpha t1_je20ncm wrote

Too close to reality nowadays to classify as a joke. I have a lot of people working for me, who see themselves as highly educated, but will struggle with the answer.

−9