Agnostic.com

9 3

According to the rules of English, the first person singular is I. The second person, singular or plural, is you. The third person plural is "they", irrespective of gender.
However, the third person singular can be he (masculine), she (feminine) or it (neuter).
Therefore, in keeping with these rules, any individual who desires to be "gender neutral" must be referred to as "it".
😂🤣😂

Petter 9 Mar 28
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

9 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

1

I don't sweat pronouns. I leave that to the PC-obsessed phony liberals who only care about identity politics and culture war issues, playing right into the hands of the ruling class, who use those things to divide the lower classes against each other. And these phony liberals never care anyway, about the class war, because they are always members of the Comfortable Class, up there in the top 15% anyway, in terms of wealth and income.

2

Sounds right.

2

There us no rule requiring a gender designation when referring to a person. “Anyone” should be referred to in the manner to which they wish to be referred. I know folks who are referred to as Captain, Sparky, and Queen…as well as they. I have no difficulty remembering their preferred way to be addressed.

2

Sounds correct to me.

2

One wouldn't want to be non-inclusive of the verbs would one.

Why not?

3

All languages are living, evolving things. English alone (as I am most familiar with it) has made many changes just in my lifetime. I am perfectly willing to refer to anyone how they want to be addressed. I am not willing to burden a relationship of any sort with arcane rules of grammar. Put the people first, grammar will be OK with that.

6

In my world, PEOPLE can refer to themselves any way they wish and the respectful people around them agree with their choice(s)........but maybe i'm a dreamer..........

2

You can use "they" as a singular, and it has always been so. Though I usually refer to god as "it", when making references to non existent beings such as Bigfoot etc..

Example of they as a singular please? Agree with "it", all gods are inanimate things anyway, as well as bigfoot although it does have a name so rude of us not to use it (Sasquatch)

@puff "My next door neighbour owns a cat, they put the cat out at night."

@Fernapple Should use he or she in that case. The only one I can think of is like "Who's that? Dunno, they must be from out of town." but even then, should use he or she.
But I agree, conservational English, we use it all the time even though my old English teacher would have given me a thrashing if I did (He was a pompous old Englishman who resented being in Australia)

@puff Usage is the only truth in language, and usage can be and is reinvented all the time. Those who think that there are or even should be or could be rules, have failed to understand how language works or what it is for.

@Fernapple Yeah Nah (old Aussie saying 😉 )
There is formal English and written English is different to spoken English. Why English is the language of science. Yes language evolves, but this is exactly Jordan Peterson's argument ie yes language evolves but when the state wishes to invent language like new pronouns, requiring all to use or face punishment if you do not comply. That is not how language works and that is why he refused to refer to his students as "ze" and thus became famous.

@Gwendolyn2018 It may be a difference across the Atlantic, we seem always to have used it that way.

1

Nah, he and she is enough to remember. "It" is for inanimate objects.
And once you know their name, use that as it's rude not to.
Interesting in Thai language, males say "Krup" to end a statement or to agree in the affirmative whereas females say "Ka". Some ladyboys, not all, will say "Ha".
eg If you are familiar with the Thai greeting "Sawadee", a male will say "Sawadee krup" and a female "Sawadee Ka". I used to amuse myself when answering the phone (when landlines were a thing) by saying in my deepest voice "Sawadee Ha".

NB Can also say "jar", everysex, to young kids. An older woman may also say it to a younger woman, or female peers to each other. Males only really allowed to use it with young kids though, dunno why.

puff Level 8 Mar 28, 2023
Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:716386
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.