Note: This post has been moved from Latest Picks due to length of extended updates.
Merriam-Webster adds ‘they’ as nonbinary pronoun (thehill.com).
Merriam-Webster announced Tuesday that it has added the nonbinary pronoun “they” to its dictionary.
The nonbinary pronoun is now listed as one of four definitions of the word by the online dictionary company.
With “they” and “them” now commonly used by those identifying as nonbinary seeking gender neutrality such as British singer Sam Smith who’s choice with regards how he now wishes to be addressed so riled polite Piers Morgan last week (dailystar.co.uk) and Merriam-Webster, the oldest dictionary publisher in America, defending adding it as one of the new words and extended definitions of words that are in common parlance (merriam-webster.com) with a “pre-emptive clapback” against “grammar snobs” according to the Grauniad (theguardian.com):
“We will note that ‘they’ has been in consistent use as a singular pronoun since the late 1300s; that the development of singular ‘they’ mirrors the development of the singular ‘you’ from the plural ‘you’, yet we don’t complain that singular ‘you’ is ungrammatical; and that regardless of what detractors say, nearly everyone uses the singular ‘they’ in casual conversation and often in formal writing.”
The explanation that “they” are actually still singular rather than “them” trying to pass them self off as two-in-one getting a double helping no doubt still appalling much right-wing middle aged salty gammon (Latest Picks 7th Nov. 2018) still fearful of their sovereignty being they-handled and forcing Jacob Rees-Mogg, the the Honourable Member for the 18th century, to emerge from the Grandfather Clock in which he lives to pen another vitally important memo to parliamentary staff (metro.co.uk, Jul. 2019) at how “they” should and should not use “they” before contemptuously reclining in indignation again to ponder the personal windfall he is allegedly likely to receive post no deal Brexit (thelondoneconomic.com, Mar. 2018).
And similar gender-neutral terminology and its adoption in some style guides has raised grammatical blood pressure within the theatrical professions:
Mark Shenton: Should we say ‘actor’ or ‘actress’? (thestage.co.uk).
Tellingly, the performers’ union Equity has no policy on this. “We don’t feel there is a consensus,” said a spokesman. “In fact, the subject divides the profession.”
Updated 23rd September 2019
And further indulging polite Pier’s paroxysm:
GMB’s Piers Morgan slates Sam Smith over claims Brit Awards will ‘axe’ gender categories (dailystar.co.uk).
With, at least according to “reports”, planners of the the music awards ceremony planning to scrap their male and female categories in the coming years.
Reacting to the news on the latest edition of the ITV breakfast show, Piers described the news as ‘nonsense’ and suggested Brit Awards bosses have been spurred on by Sam’s announcement.
With his spouted distress at what male or female music award categories Smith will be entering seemingly irritatingly allayed and deciding it is all down to Smith rather than a broader progressive change in societies views on sexuality, describing the that “so much time on awards should be wrecked” because “one guy can’t decide if he’s male or female”.
And to make perfectly clear where his own and the manosphere he appeals to’s misogynistic issues really are:
“Women will suffer eventually. I suspect what will happen is male performers will end up winning all of the awards than the women.”
Updated 26th September 2019
And further incense his repressed desire to have had a dolly too:
Barbie gets woke! Mattel launches range of gender neutral dolls with a wardrobe of skirts and trousers and switchable hairstyles—to ‘meet demand from children’ (dailymail.co.uk).
The brand behind Barbie has launched a new line of dolls that are ‘gender inclusive’.
Toy goliath Mattel says the new Creatable World doll kits are entirely ‘free of labels’, offering the children playing with them clothes that include both skirts and trousers and long and short hairstyles.
The Creatable World range allowing a child to combine hair, clothes and accessories as they wish as self expressive representation with beaming #StayWoke gender ambiguous or non-binary parents looking on—at least until a wish is expressed for the latest one in a princess outfit their friend has.
Updated 2nd October 2019
And allowing another accused of having an “outdated”, discriminatory attitude towards women (Wikipedia) to have his say on snowflakes and the woke generation in The Current Bun:
YOU’RE FIRED UP! The Apprentice boss Lord Sugar slams snowflakes and wants them ‘shipped off to Mongolia’ (thesun.co.uk).
And in particular asked about the woke generation campaigning for non-binary pronouns:
“They need to pack it in, it’s nonsense,” he fumed.
“The people promoting it need to be shipped off to Mongolia. Send them away, get them out the country. Go away. It always boils down to a small bunch of people that promote it.”
And the 72-year-old electronics business magnate, formally New Labour and Remain supporting now Bojo endosing lord and political adviser continuing: “It is absolutely crazy, you can’t say anything nowadays without offending somebody with how they look, dress, the colour of their skin or whatever”.
With that reckoning perhaps to be thought not so sincere with his apology regards his racist “joke” tweet about the Senegalese World Cup team last year either (dailymail.co.uk, Jun. 2018), and with regards getting out of the country he will hopefully not renege on his pronouncement that he himself will leave should Comrade Corbyn become prime minister lest he put him in a Canvey Island gulag with only a redundant Amstrad E-m@iler (GoogleTube) for company.
Updated 7th November 2019
And in addition to Apple joining Google in offering non-binary emojis on their respective social media offerings (theguardian.com, Oct. 2019) giving sour Sugar more opportunity to tweet his unfortunate Essex man caricature contempt at a changing world:
Collins Dictionary recognises ‘non-binary’ after year of ‘changes’ (itv.com).
Collins Dictionary has recognised the word “non-binary”, whilst also naming “climate strike” as its Word of the Year 2019.
The latter undoubtedly drawing as much social media vitriol directed towards a 16-year-old girl from suspect former Kipper-bankrolling Trumpeteering business curmudgeons who’s interest it is to have less regulations to bother them (theguardian.com, Aug. 2019).
Recent/related stories
- Taylor Swift’s new Pride-themed single causes influx of GLAAD donations (Blog 15th June 2019)
- Seemingly too many #MeToo hot pronoun avoided potatoes for a LOVE Advent 2018? (Latest Picks 8th December 2018)
- ‘Gammon’ added to Collins Dictionary as word of the year (Latest Picks Latest Picks 7th November 2018)
- International Woman’s Day commercialisation: Row over inspiring Frida Kahlo Barbie doll (Blog 8th March 2018)
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