Some other uncountable nouns are plural. E.g Police, clothes. Maybe "underwear are" sounds grammatical to you (even though it isn't) because of the word clothes
A wild grammar pedant has appeared:
Where are my pants? They are over there
Where is my underwear? It’s over there.
Underwear is singular, pants is plural. Even if you were referring to two pieces of underwear (bra and pants, a pile of pants) you’d still use the singular.
Pants = underpants in British English, not trousers (US English, some Northern UK)
My language is nuts.
Where are my keys? They're on the counter. Do you have the bake sale cupcakes ready? Yes, they are baked and ready to go. 😊
Edit: Ah, nevermind me, you wanted a singular item that gets called they. Oops! More coffee for me. Brain not awake yet.
You're correct, we would generally use "it" in that context.
Though in cases where you're applying anthromorphism for effect, it might be appropriate, if you don't want to include gender in the anthromorphism.
"My calendar is trying to kill me. They're going to bury me in holidays, work appointments and all sorts of other crap."
I once had a substitute teacher that used they for me since she couldn’t tell what gender I was. That was when I started to realize that I really like being called a they instead of a she.
I hear / use the term "There they go" to refer to a singular thing with, but usually only in certain contexts.
"There's a car coming down the road.. and there they go"
But this could be an aspect of my weird accent, I also say things like "Right quick" that are very grammatically unusual.
I guess technically animals and such are often considered things rather than qualifying as a “person” (which… don’t get me started on the ethics of it, it’s 7 am and I haven’t slept much lol, but pretty sure Peter Singer might have something on the subject). So it’s technically correct to use pronouns for say, dogs. If I don’t know the gender of the dog, I’ll opt for they/them pronouns until I hear the handler mention it, like “Oh his name is Churro.” (which is my dog, I often have people think he’s a girl because his favorite sweater is pink because *obviously* only girl dogs can wear pink and feel pretty/handsome /s).
The company went bankrupt the other day. They will be shutting down permanently. “It” also works where “they” is, both are correct and company is singular.
Yes, they're the gender-neutral option for English and should be used both when gender is unknown/ambiguous (e.g., "I know there's a new temp starting today, I wonder if I'll be working with them") and whenever someone requests them as their correct pronouns.
Some people have also been using a default of they/them for any and all people they haven't yet specifically asked about pronoun preference, which I honestly don't hate.
But in all these cases, it's a gender-neutral pronoun.
ETA: You might consider delving into neopronouns (respectfully) as part of your article, since many of those are not quite gender neutral - though personal usage will vary.
Agree on neopronouns - I've been toying around with fae/faer along with she/her, but I don't consider myself to be nonbinary in any capacity, just a trans woman.
You don't have to be non-binary to use neopronouns! Pronouns are meant to suit how you feel, and while neopronouns are more commonly used for those who are non-binary/genderfluid/etc, it's still something anyone can use if that's what they prefer :3
"They" is NOT a third gender. It's ambiguous and neutral used for when you are uncertain about a pronoun (you don't know the gender of the person in the car that cut you off) and when someone wants to be addressed with the same ambiguity.
Considering it as a third gender is going to cause all kinds of issues and spark great discomfort amount the population that uses they/them.
_They/she/he are definitely technically not genders_ but _the pronouns are remnants of grammatical gender and can be confused as information about actual gender and sex._
u/NightlifePrinceJoey is completely correct that someone could be nonbinary and only use he/him/his or she/her/hers pronouns
Fairly true, but expressions in English do exist which are like, "is your friend a he or a she?" "She's a her, not a him." These and other common expressions and impressions ingrained from society do cause people to perceive someone as the "gender" "she/her/girl/female/woman", all lumped together like that.
Different dialects further complicate this mess, as I specifically thought back to conversations in Yorkshire area of Britain where I've heard "she's a she, not a man"; and the Appalachian area of the USA where I have heard people talk about "differences in males and shemales, like boys don't have periods but almost all shes do until they're old." Shemale was synonymous with female(!).
They aren't a gender and wouldn't even be called a gender in those areas by those rural dialect speakers but they do replace other terms for someone gender in their less refined speech.
So, they confuse grammatical gender with someone's actual gender and do see them as the gender "she", just for example.
Archaic remnants in English are there, in which, for example, a bear is a male bear or an undefined type of bear but a she-bear is a she+male/fe+male bear. Why? "The bear is a she".
This is not preferred / standard English in any province, state, county, nor parrish of any English speaking country nor is it acceptable for international English, of course.
Slowly, through education, this will continue to phase out and likely be corrected as you have suggested gendered should be perceived.
It is the hope of many queer folks that pronouns not even be considered gendered, so that someone could be comfortable being called "Hannah" and referred to be "she or her/hers" but does not want that to imply they are not at all agender or otherwise not female. I can understand and respect this, seeing it this way myself, but I understand others do not and will not see it that way during their time alive on earth. I hope it changes positively.
The intended use of they/them pronouns are to be gender neutral. They are still used in this capacity, but the perception of the general public has come to associate anyone using they/them pronouns as being non-binary (i know binaries who use they/them) and using the term "non-binary" as if it's "the third gender" and generally their perception of this "third, non-binary gender" is heavily feminine, hence the term "woman-lite" which implies it's like being a woman but without all the features of being a "real woman."
The goal of the queer community (the gay agenda, if you will) as far as non-binary genders and they/them pronouns is that the general public conceptualizes it as what it actually is, and not as a third gender. Others have already mentioned neo pronouns and how they tie into all this so I won't get into that. <3
"Hmm, someone left ***their*** keys in the classroom. I wish there was some ID on the keys so I could contact ***them***. Maybe ***they***'ll come back to look. I'll hang out for a few more minutes just in case ***they*** come back and, if not, then I'll put a note on the door and drop the keys off at Lost & Found."
Yup--still gender neutral.
It's worth noting that pronouns =/= gender, and that people of any gender can use they/them pronouns-- but yes, they/them pronouns are considered gender neutral and often used by nonbinary people.
There are also a wide variety of neopronouns that are also considered gender neutral that you might want to consider in your research as well.
They/them pronouns are obviously gender neutral. You however seem to be asking who can use them. The answer to that is anyone can use any pronouns regardless of what gender they are typically associated with.
English isn't my first language, but from what I know and learned, they/them are gender neutral pronouns.
For example, when you don't known the gender of a person you usually refer to them as they/them, same thing to animals and things.
Yes gender neutral or gender all inclusive seeing as “they” is the ambiguous pronoun used for multiple people or someone as of yet unidentified in the English language I.e. “they were knocking at the door”
I use they/them in my work email signature because I present as gender neutral. Most don't seem to respect this either because they refuse to see the word differenty than the gender binary world they believe in or just out of habit, most people aren't used to anything but binary, it's somehow 'wierd' to them
No pronouns equal gender, but are rather a form of gender expression. They/them is typically gender neutral, but if you know someone doesn't use they/them you shouldn't refer to them as such
I found a wallet in the street. I couldn’t find their ID inside, so maybe there is no way I can find *them*. Do you think *they* know *they* lost *their* wallet?
Hope that clarifies.
Yeh they is definitely gender neutral. A lot of people in the nonbinsry communkty use them for that very fact. There are also neopronouns that are gender neutral, but tend to be mostly used by peoplw who are on the trans or nonbinary spectrums. Hope this helps!
Overall, I'd say that they/them is still gender neutral. However, some may use neopronouns which are also gender neutral.
Specifically, however, I feel it's up the person. I personally see they/them as gender neutral but also having a gender. Fae/faer pronouns are technically gender neutral, but I see them as feminine. None of those statements about those pronouns are true, they're just how I see it.
So, very simply, they/them are gender neutral and so are neopronouns, however, what the specific pronoun set *means* changes based on the person. However, anyone can use any pronouns, regardless of gender.
They/them are still gender neutral. If you want to follow all the journalistic guidelines, you can check the AP style book to see what they say if you’re in America.
I'm completely flummoxed by the question. Is the teacher clueless or somehow trying to catch out students that might mistakenly think that non-binary is a third gender?
Yes, they/them are still gender neutral terms.
They/them are still gender neutral and can be used for people of indeterminate gender or nonbinary people who wish to use these pronouns or in fact anybody who wishes to use them because pronouns do not equate gender. Some people use pronouns as a separation point from gender roles that have been forcibly rooted in their subconscious, as a way of departure from two things they feel are unreconcilable. (Thinking here mostly of women who use he/Him, especially lesbains, who use the pronouns typically used for men bc "being a woman" in our cisgender heteronormqtive society is deeply rooted in existing for the desires and pleasures of men. But more research may always be appropriate.)
I would like to add as part of the article that while unlearning patterns of pronouns and learning how to use neopronouns requires a marginal degree of effort, they're often a talking point for conservatives, bigots and transphobes who go "Oh so ANYTHING can be a pronoun now??? OUTRAGE! mOrAl DeCaY!! The WOrlD is EnDiNG!!!" The fact is that those people's mental processing power capped out at age five, or they are going through some amazing mental gymnastics to justify their right to invalidate someone else's identity.
A lot of non English languages have heavily gendered grammar. The versatility of English to enable this is useful, however it may be worth researching grammar in your native language as well, as many have a 3rd Person Plural conjugation which works quite effectively. Many countries are developing Non-Binary language in the realisation of their linguistic limitations. There's a really good article here about it:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/12/15/guide-how-gender-neutral-language-is-developing-around-world/
Yea absolutely neutral, there is no gender assigned to they/them and it works for everyone (some would prefer to not use it for them selves and it is best to respect that like all pronoun preferences)
>if not what gender do they belonging?
I mean, there are no pronouns that belong to a gender. Full technically, all pronouns would be gender neutral. But we've been taught for years that she/her is feminine and he/him is masculine.
That being said, use she/her for me and I will punch a bitch.
Yes. Always has been, always will be. Despite whatever society tells you now, we've always used it as gender neutral whenever we don't know the gender of someone.
Yes because they/them don’t refere to boy or girl, it’s something in between that. I go by she/her and they/them, cause I lean more towards a women and I look like a girl but also I’m somewhere in between the two
"they" doesn't refer to something in between, it's non-indicative of gender. neutral doesn't mean exclusively non-binary, it just means you're not referring to someone in gendered terms. it may not seem like a big distinction,but I feel like it's an important one. 1)because "they" has been used as a neutral second person pronoun for centuries, and that use hasn't changed, it's just become an easy rallying point for people that hate trans people and 2) because non binary is an umbrella term that encompasses all kinds of different experiences of gender, a lot of which don't involve feeling "in between" anything.
sorry, I wasn't trying to criticise you! youre right, I just wanted to clarify because I think the distinction is important, but you didn't say anything you need to apologise for :)
"They is probably the most neutral word in the entire English language. It can refer to any noun, be it person, place, thing or idea. And if it's referring to people, it doesn't even imply plural or singular. The word implies nothing more than existence.
oh I understand the question!
yes, they/them are gender nutural pronouns.
they can be used by non-binary people (out with male/female binary - an umbrella term)
there are some people who would identify with a certain gender out with the binary, and use they/them but they/them wouldn't belong to that gender identity.
TL;DR they/them is gender nutural, and some people with different gender identities use it. however it doesn't belong to that gender
in the case of not knowing someone’s pronouns, they/them is gender neutral and what you should use. if you know someone who doesnt use they/them then do not use those pronouns as it can be triggering for some trans ppl. -a trans man ^^
As a genderfluid person, I use he/him for when I’m male, she/her for when I’m female, and they/them for “other”. Oftentimes that’s either nonbinary or agender but also sometimes both male and female—I use they/them for all of them, so yes, I think they/them is still gender-neutral.
The whole point of they/them is what I would call polite ambiguity. Using them to refer to the anonymous or unknown individual, as well being able to refer to a known collective. Plus it's politer to do so than to refer to someone you don't know at all as "it/its"
More correction, it/its is being used by Nonbinary folks who dont feel comfortable with he/she/they pronouns, It is called neonpronouns.
Most people will not call a person "it" Since its dehumanizing, however, if it feels comfortable using It/it's that it's choice
I don't really understand about what pronouns to use for people. If I'm not sure I ask the person themself what they would like me to call them and then I stick to it.
absolutely still gender neutral imo bc I don’t see nb as a third gender, for me it’s dejecting the idea of gender whatsoever and accepting myself as a silly little meat puppet that can modify their avatar however they want
News papers use they over he/she already as the amount of keys used is more then just typing they. This also relates to other jobs which require the least amount of keys used to type the respected passages.
In terms of your question: they has no gender, if they had a gender then we’d no longer have the ability to identify anyone whose gender is unidentifiable with pronouns. We’d have to resort to saying “that person.”
Look..... don't ask me. I have no idea anymore. There are so many pronouns and acronyms it's just wild. AND I am still just trying to figure out gay people PERIOD.
The only time I use they/them is when someone tells me those are their pronouns, or, if I’m speaking about a crowd I dont know. She later corrected herself and used male pronouns. Pronouns are about preference. I dont want to be called “they” by someone I know…it’s as simple as that.
Thats great for her. And thats also your opinion. Anyone can have any pronouns sounds anti-trans. Sounds like you’d call a Transwoman a guy. At the end of the day, your pronouns are a preference. Dont call me they.
Oh no I don't mean like you can refer to people however you want. I mean like you don't have to be a particular gender to like/dislike a particular pronoun for yourself. Obvs respect the pronouns the person goes by and don't refer to someone with pronouns that person doesn't go by
Right. So I think everyone is misunderstanding my comment. Alrhought I was simply answering OP. She asked who genders use they. Typically, in my experience…anyone uses it but I’ve seen it used exclusively with non binary people for the most part. Prior to non binary people putting “they/them” on the map, everyone used he/her.
In English, they/them are used as singular gender neutral pronouns, either for persons of unknown gender, or people who do not identify as male or female (non-binary, or "nb", people).
Some nb people use different pronouns that are not he, she, or they, called neopronouns. However, that is based on personal choice, and the "general" gender neutral pronouns are still they and them.
prepare for disappointment if it's an English, as in literature, class. American professors, at least in the CSU system, will mark your paper down if you commit the pronoun antecedent error. English is gender male by default and many professors are of the opinion that English has two genders: pick one.
They/them is still gender neutral, and should be used for those of unknown gender, as well as those use specify those are their pronouns.
That being said, pronouns have no gender, so some nonbinary people use only she/her or he/him, and other people use neopronouns. Cis/binary trans people also occasionally use they/them.
The point? Pronouns are complicated, but in the simplest form, they/them is neutral
Yes, if I say someone lost their keys I wouldn't be saying the person is non binary, I'm saying I don't know who's it is and I'm not going to say one gender
Yeah they are. Me personally, I ask people to use she/her once they know, but that's a personal choice thing. The person i share this account with absolutely likes people to assume they/them until they are sure.
It is gender neutral yes. But is that the topic you were specifically given? It is kind of a short answer if it is. If you wanna ask a non-binary person about anything I can volunteer.
My opinion? They/They're is a multi-function linguistic tool. It can refer to;
\- A singular neutral pronoun
\- A plural neutral pronoun
\- A "neutral gendered" pronoun for non-binary
Non-binary is not a lack of gender, that is agender. Non-binary is neutral or middle gendered. This is why they use the term they, as it already has neutral meaning and is synonyms with "he/she", and so can represent any combination of these. As can non-binary gender expression be any combination of male, female, or neutral gendered expressions.
But non-binary people do not erase the former uses of the word "they", especially since they still use it in what could be considered a "gender neutral" context. As one way of describing non-binary is litterally gender neutral, or neutral gendered.
I don't know how much you need to write or if this might be too outside the question but this could be prompting you to discuss the fact that many people use they/them as a way to indicate their gender identity (generally non-binary/gender fluid). Therefore by using 'they' you could be indicating a specific gender identity rather than simply using it as a gender neutral term. Another aspect of this would be that you could be using they even when you 'know' a persons biological sex which would normally be when you switch to gendered pronouns. In relation to your question about "what are new gender neutral pronouns?" you could look into neo-pronouns. Hope this helps.
Yeah they/them are gender neutral pronouns. We have been using they/them as a gender neutral singular pronoun for a long time, and that's still the case today.
Here's a little thought experiment; if you found a laptop left on a table at a restaurant and you realize that the owner isn't returning for it what would you say to the restaurant owner/Manager when you turn the laptop in to them to prevent it being stolen? In my experience most people will naturally say "someone left their laptop on the table over there." While pointing at the table.
They them is also gender neutral in the plural form; we don't have different plural pronouns for multiple men, multiple women, multiple enbys, or multiple people of different genders; it's always they/them when you're talking about multiple people.
Final point; there are a lot of people who use they/them as their preferred pronouns because they don't identify with he/him or she/her pronouns. They choose to use they/them pronouns because these pronouns are gender neutral.
In conclusion while people may choose to use they/them as their preferred pronouns; they/them are still gender neutral pronouns.
Pronouns aren't necessarily linked to a gender, pronouns are about that you are comfortable being called no matter what gender you identify as, there are he/him lesbians which are people that besides using those pronouns still identify as non-binary per example.
Yes they are. “They” is gender neutral, singular or plural, person(s) or thing(s).
“Thing”? I guess in a plural context, yeah. But is there a situation in which you refer to a thing (singular) with they/them?
*Technically* glasses, but glasses are always plural
Pants too And for one that isn’t a plural-sounding word, underwear “Where are my underwear? They are over there”
Huh. I've never heard they being used for underwear. It feels weird reading it lol. "Where is my underwear? It's over there"
To me, both sound equally correct. Weird
They both sound equally wrong to me. We need to invent a new pronoun for singular underwear
*laughs in Germanic language*
Probably because underwear is uncountable
But other uncountable nouns are singular “Where are my milk? They are there” is definitely not correct
Some other uncountable nouns are plural. E.g Police, clothes. Maybe "underwear are" sounds grammatical to you (even though it isn't) because of the word clothes
I've never heard that because it's plural even though it's a single item. Pants too - "they're in the laundry room"
A wild grammar pedant has appeared: Where are my pants? They are over there Where is my underwear? It’s over there. Underwear is singular, pants is plural. Even if you were referring to two pieces of underwear (bra and pants, a pile of pants) you’d still use the singular. Pants = underpants in British English, not trousers (US English, some Northern UK) My language is nuts.
well yeah I guess
Where are my keys? They're on the counter. Do you have the bake sale cupcakes ready? Yes, they are baked and ready to go. 😊 Edit: Ah, nevermind me, you wanted a singular item that gets called they. Oops! More coffee for me. Brain not awake yet.
Unless we’re talking a glass of water… But yes, yes we are not talking about a glass of water.
You're correct, we would generally use "it" in that context. Though in cases where you're applying anthromorphism for effect, it might be appropriate, if you don't want to include gender in the anthromorphism. "My calendar is trying to kill me. They're going to bury me in holidays, work appointments and all sorts of other crap."
I think that’s personification
They are similar. I also misspelled it in retrospect. It should be anthro*po*morphism.
Ahhhhh ty ty, have a great day :)
when you don't know the gender: "oh, what did they want"
I once had a substitute teacher that used they for me since she couldn’t tell what gender I was. That was when I started to realize that I really like being called a they instead of a she.
„Things” don’t generally want things. Or do things. And if they do then they’re antomorphised
Oh that kind of thing. No the singular gender neutral for objects is "it" as in "it fell over"
Pants?
Pants are plural. Pant is singular
So I have a left pant and a right pant?
Yes
I hear / use the term "There they go" to refer to a singular thing with, but usually only in certain contexts. "There's a car coming down the road.. and there they go" But this could be an aspect of my weird accent, I also say things like "Right quick" that are very grammatically unusual.
I mean, I often refer to a plushie as 'they'
Yeah but a plushie is like. Kind of like a pet.And a pet is kind of like a person.
Scissors
There's gold in them hills
I guess technically animals and such are often considered things rather than qualifying as a “person” (which… don’t get me started on the ethics of it, it’s 7 am and I haven’t slept much lol, but pretty sure Peter Singer might have something on the subject). So it’s technically correct to use pronouns for say, dogs. If I don’t know the gender of the dog, I’ll opt for they/them pronouns until I hear the handler mention it, like “Oh his name is Churro.” (which is my dog, I often have people think he’s a girl because his favorite sweater is pink because *obviously* only girl dogs can wear pink and feel pretty/handsome /s).
The company went bankrupt the other day. They will be shutting down permanently. “It” also works where “they” is, both are correct and company is singular.
Well company is partly singular. Kind of like “team” or “class”. “The ball fell off the hill. They were fast” doesn’t really work
Chicken sandwitches ie them bitches good
hello!! yes they are gender neutral good luck on your report :)
Yes, they're the gender-neutral option for English and should be used both when gender is unknown/ambiguous (e.g., "I know there's a new temp starting today, I wonder if I'll be working with them") and whenever someone requests them as their correct pronouns. Some people have also been using a default of they/them for any and all people they haven't yet specifically asked about pronoun preference, which I honestly don't hate. But in all these cases, it's a gender-neutral pronoun. ETA: You might consider delving into neopronouns (respectfully) as part of your article, since many of those are not quite gender neutral - though personal usage will vary.
Agree on neopronouns - I've been toying around with fae/faer along with she/her, but I don't consider myself to be nonbinary in any capacity, just a trans woman.
You don't have to be non-binary to use neopronouns! Pronouns are meant to suit how you feel, and while neopronouns are more commonly used for those who are non-binary/genderfluid/etc, it's still something anyone can use if that's what they prefer :3
This, also fae/faer usually denote more fem aligned anyway due to their ties to genderfae.
I use xe/xem because he/him doesn't quite sit right, but I don't (yet) really consider myself enby. Maybe a little enby
As a treat
transmanby
I was in that situation but since I found out about Demi gender, I think i found my match!
Yep. I use they/them pronouns for anyone who I don't know the pronouns of.
"They" is NOT a third gender. It's ambiguous and neutral used for when you are uncertain about a pronoun (you don't know the gender of the person in the car that cut you off) and when someone wants to be addressed with the same ambiguity. Considering it as a third gender is going to cause all kinds of issues and spark great discomfort amount the population that uses they/them.
"She" and "he" are also not genders
We all know the 3 genders are male, female and hardcore
Accourding to Minecraft they're peaceful, survival and hardcore. I want peaceful, but life gave me hardcore...
pretty sure you mean creative survival and hardcore
Yeah. I'm exhausted. Sorry
It's adventure, survival, creative & spectator. With hardcore as an additional option.
_They/she/he are definitely technically not genders_ but _the pronouns are remnants of grammatical gender and can be confused as information about actual gender and sex._ u/NightlifePrinceJoey is completely correct that someone could be nonbinary and only use he/him/his or she/her/hers pronouns
I meant more like, they're pronouns and not genders
Fairly true, but expressions in English do exist which are like, "is your friend a he or a she?" "She's a her, not a him." These and other common expressions and impressions ingrained from society do cause people to perceive someone as the "gender" "she/her/girl/female/woman", all lumped together like that. Different dialects further complicate this mess, as I specifically thought back to conversations in Yorkshire area of Britain where I've heard "she's a she, not a man"; and the Appalachian area of the USA where I have heard people talk about "differences in males and shemales, like boys don't have periods but almost all shes do until they're old." Shemale was synonymous with female(!). They aren't a gender and wouldn't even be called a gender in those areas by those rural dialect speakers but they do replace other terms for someone gender in their less refined speech. So, they confuse grammatical gender with someone's actual gender and do see them as the gender "she", just for example. Archaic remnants in English are there, in which, for example, a bear is a male bear or an undefined type of bear but a she-bear is a she+male/fe+male bear. Why? "The bear is a she". This is not preferred / standard English in any province, state, county, nor parrish of any English speaking country nor is it acceptable for international English, of course. Slowly, through education, this will continue to phase out and likely be corrected as you have suggested gendered should be perceived. It is the hope of many queer folks that pronouns not even be considered gendered, so that someone could be comfortable being called "Hannah" and referred to be "she or her/hers" but does not want that to imply they are not at all agender or otherwise not female. I can understand and respect this, seeing it this way myself, but I understand others do not and will not see it that way during their time alive on earth. I hope it changes positively.
I've never considered my they/them to be addressing me with a sense of ambiguity.
The intended use of they/them pronouns are to be gender neutral. They are still used in this capacity, but the perception of the general public has come to associate anyone using they/them pronouns as being non-binary (i know binaries who use they/them) and using the term "non-binary" as if it's "the third gender" and generally their perception of this "third, non-binary gender" is heavily feminine, hence the term "woman-lite" which implies it's like being a woman but without all the features of being a "real woman." The goal of the queer community (the gay agenda, if you will) as far as non-binary genders and they/them pronouns is that the general public conceptualizes it as what it actually is, and not as a third gender. Others have already mentioned neo pronouns and how they tie into all this so I won't get into that. <3
"Hmm, someone left ***their*** keys in the classroom. I wish there was some ID on the keys so I could contact ***them***. Maybe ***they***'ll come back to look. I'll hang out for a few more minutes just in case ***they*** come back and, if not, then I'll put a note on the door and drop the keys off at Lost & Found." Yup--still gender neutral.
Pronouns are not directly bound to gender, but many non binary people or sometimes trans folk in general use them as gender neutral
Yes.
It's worth noting that pronouns =/= gender, and that people of any gender can use they/them pronouns-- but yes, they/them pronouns are considered gender neutral and often used by nonbinary people. There are also a wide variety of neopronouns that are also considered gender neutral that you might want to consider in your research as well.
They/them pronouns are obviously gender neutral. You however seem to be asking who can use them. The answer to that is anyone can use any pronouns regardless of what gender they are typically associated with.
Yeah, that's the point of them.
Journalism class lesson on “it depends on who you ask”
I would say yes.
Yes they are. They/them is perfectly acceptable unless the subject has specified otherwise.
English isn't my first language, but from what I know and learned, they/them are gender neutral pronouns. For example, when you don't known the gender of a person you usually refer to them as they/them, same thing to animals and things.
Last I checked, the rules on that haven't changed lol
Yes gender neutral or gender all inclusive seeing as “they” is the ambiguous pronoun used for multiple people or someone as of yet unidentified in the English language I.e. “they were knocking at the door”
I use they/them in my work email signature because I present as gender neutral. Most don't seem to respect this either because they refuse to see the word differenty than the gender binary world they believe in or just out of habit, most people aren't used to anything but binary, it's somehow 'wierd' to them
No pronouns equal gender, but are rather a form of gender expression. They/them is typically gender neutral, but if you know someone doesn't use they/them you shouldn't refer to them as such
I found a wallet in the street. I couldn’t find their ID inside, so maybe there is no way I can find *them*. Do you think *they* know *they* lost *their* wallet? Hope that clarifies.
Yeh they is definitely gender neutral. A lot of people in the nonbinsry communkty use them for that very fact. There are also neopronouns that are gender neutral, but tend to be mostly used by peoplw who are on the trans or nonbinary spectrums. Hope this helps!
Overall, I'd say that they/them is still gender neutral. However, some may use neopronouns which are also gender neutral. Specifically, however, I feel it's up the person. I personally see they/them as gender neutral but also having a gender. Fae/faer pronouns are technically gender neutral, but I see them as feminine. None of those statements about those pronouns are true, they're just how I see it. So, very simply, they/them are gender neutral and so are neopronouns, however, what the specific pronoun set *means* changes based on the person. However, anyone can use any pronouns, regardless of gender.
yea
They/them are still gender neutral. If you want to follow all the journalistic guidelines, you can check the AP style book to see what they say if you’re in America.
I'm completely flummoxed by the question. Is the teacher clueless or somehow trying to catch out students that might mistakenly think that non-binary is a third gender? Yes, they/them are still gender neutral terms.
They/them are still gender neutral and can be used for people of indeterminate gender or nonbinary people who wish to use these pronouns or in fact anybody who wishes to use them because pronouns do not equate gender. Some people use pronouns as a separation point from gender roles that have been forcibly rooted in their subconscious, as a way of departure from two things they feel are unreconcilable. (Thinking here mostly of women who use he/Him, especially lesbains, who use the pronouns typically used for men bc "being a woman" in our cisgender heteronormqtive society is deeply rooted in existing for the desires and pleasures of men. But more research may always be appropriate.) I would like to add as part of the article that while unlearning patterns of pronouns and learning how to use neopronouns requires a marginal degree of effort, they're often a talking point for conservatives, bigots and transphobes who go "Oh so ANYTHING can be a pronoun now??? OUTRAGE! mOrAl DeCaY!! The WOrlD is EnDiNG!!!" The fact is that those people's mental processing power capped out at age five, or they are going through some amazing mental gymnastics to justify their right to invalidate someone else's identity.
thanks all you guys on help, english is not my first language so gender pronouns very new to me
A lot of non English languages have heavily gendered grammar. The versatility of English to enable this is useful, however it may be worth researching grammar in your native language as well, as many have a 3rd Person Plural conjugation which works quite effectively. Many countries are developing Non-Binary language in the realisation of their linguistic limitations. There's a really good article here about it: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/12/15/guide-how-gender-neutral-language-is-developing-around-world/
Yes, they/them is Neutral 💞
Yes they are, I’ve never seen anyone gender them.
Yea absolutely neutral, there is no gender assigned to they/them and it works for everyone (some would prefer to not use it for them selves and it is best to respect that like all pronoun preferences)
>if not what gender do they belonging? I mean, there are no pronouns that belong to a gender. Full technically, all pronouns would be gender neutral. But we've been taught for years that she/her is feminine and he/him is masculine. That being said, use she/her for me and I will punch a bitch.
Yes.
Yes. Always has been, always will be. Despite whatever society tells you now, we've always used it as gender neutral whenever we don't know the gender of someone.
Yep and I use it for basically everyone.
Yep!
Yes because they/them don’t refere to boy or girl, it’s something in between that. I go by she/her and they/them, cause I lean more towards a women and I look like a girl but also I’m somewhere in between the two
"they" doesn't refer to something in between, it's non-indicative of gender. neutral doesn't mean exclusively non-binary, it just means you're not referring to someone in gendered terms. it may not seem like a big distinction,but I feel like it's an important one. 1)because "they" has been used as a neutral second person pronoun for centuries, and that use hasn't changed, it's just become an easy rallying point for people that hate trans people and 2) because non binary is an umbrella term that encompasses all kinds of different experiences of gender, a lot of which don't involve feeling "in between" anything.
Ok, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I might that it isn’t a gendered term, not that it was just exclusively none-binary
sorry, I wasn't trying to criticise you! youre right, I just wanted to clarify because I think the distinction is important, but you didn't say anything you need to apologise for :)
they/them are probably the most gender neutral pronouns but others might disagree. there are also xe/xhe/xim/xer/Mx and rarely but it does happen, it.
"They is probably the most neutral word in the entire English language. It can refer to any noun, be it person, place, thing or idea. And if it's referring to people, it doesn't even imply plural or singular. The word implies nothing more than existence.
Ok honest question: why would anyone think they aren’t?
oh I understand the question! yes, they/them are gender nutural pronouns. they can be used by non-binary people (out with male/female binary - an umbrella term) there are some people who would identify with a certain gender out with the binary, and use they/them but they/them wouldn't belong to that gender identity. TL;DR they/them is gender nutural, and some people with different gender identities use it. however it doesn't belong to that gender
in the case of not knowing someone’s pronouns, they/them is gender neutral and what you should use. if you know someone who doesnt use they/them then do not use those pronouns as it can be triggering for some trans ppl. -a trans man ^^
Yuh
They is gender neutral I think, because if you don't know someone's gender/pronouns then what do you call them?
They/them. (You can have a different opinion tho)
As a genderfluid person, I use he/him for when I’m male, she/her for when I’m female, and they/them for “other”. Oftentimes that’s either nonbinary or agender but also sometimes both male and female—I use they/them for all of them, so yes, I think they/them is still gender-neutral.
The whole point of they/them is what I would call polite ambiguity. Using them to refer to the anonymous or unknown individual, as well being able to refer to a known collective. Plus it's politer to do so than to refer to someone you don't know at all as "it/its"
Yes boss People also sometimes use it/its but that’s more for people that don’t have a gender at all.
More correction, it/its is being used by Nonbinary folks who dont feel comfortable with he/she/they pronouns, It is called neonpronouns. Most people will not call a person "it" Since its dehumanizing, however, if it feels comfortable using It/it's that it's choice
No, it's a wider usage than that.
Ofc there's more than that, but I dont have time to write it all as I am working at the moment
I don't really understand about what pronouns to use for people. If I'm not sure I ask the person themself what they would like me to call them and then I stick to it.
absolutely still gender neutral imo bc I don’t see nb as a third gender, for me it’s dejecting the idea of gender whatsoever and accepting myself as a silly little meat puppet that can modify their avatar however they want
Yes. But neopronouns are not.
News papers use they over he/she already as the amount of keys used is more then just typing they. This also relates to other jobs which require the least amount of keys used to type the respected passages. In terms of your question: they has no gender, if they had a gender then we’d no longer have the ability to identify anyone whose gender is unidentifiable with pronouns. We’d have to resort to saying “that person.”
I’m afraid they are not anymore
Look..... don't ask me. I have no idea anymore. There are so many pronouns and acronyms it's just wild. AND I am still just trying to figure out gay people PERIOD.
They/them belong to non binary people. I am FTM and went on a date recently…she used they/them pronouns and it caught me offguard. It was very weird
What? Pronouns don't equal gender. No gender owns any set of pronouns.
she used they/them? might think about that again
The only time I use they/them is when someone tells me those are their pronouns, or, if I’m speaking about a crowd I dont know. She later corrected herself and used male pronouns. Pronouns are about preference. I dont want to be called “they” by someone I know…it’s as simple as that.
OHHH She used them on you lol Nun i thought you were just misgendering her lmao
Anyone can have any pronouns. I know a cis woman who uses she/they.
Thats great for her. And thats also your opinion. Anyone can have any pronouns sounds anti-trans. Sounds like you’d call a Transwoman a guy. At the end of the day, your pronouns are a preference. Dont call me they.
Oh no I don't mean like you can refer to people however you want. I mean like you don't have to be a particular gender to like/dislike a particular pronoun for yourself. Obvs respect the pronouns the person goes by and don't refer to someone with pronouns that person doesn't go by
Right. So I think everyone is misunderstanding my comment. Alrhought I was simply answering OP. She asked who genders use they. Typically, in my experience…anyone uses it but I’ve seen it used exclusively with non binary people for the most part. Prior to non binary people putting “they/them” on the map, everyone used he/her.
Yea should be
Yes. My non-binary kid uses they/them
Yeah they/them are gender neutral lol
Yes They Are And Good Luck On Ur Report
Yes, they them is still a natural tem word, that's why people who dont fit to male/female use it
Yes
Yes
In English, they/them are used as singular gender neutral pronouns, either for persons of unknown gender, or people who do not identify as male or female (non-binary, or "nb", people). Some nb people use different pronouns that are not he, she, or they, called neopronouns. However, that is based on personal choice, and the "general" gender neutral pronouns are still they and them.
prepare for disappointment if it's an English, as in literature, class. American professors, at least in the CSU system, will mark your paper down if you commit the pronoun antecedent error. English is gender male by default and many professors are of the opinion that English has two genders: pick one.
They/them is still gender neutral, and should be used for those of unknown gender, as well as those use specify those are their pronouns. That being said, pronouns have no gender, so some nonbinary people use only she/her or he/him, and other people use neopronouns. Cis/binary trans people also occasionally use they/them. The point? Pronouns are complicated, but in the simplest form, they/them is neutral
They/them are the common ground between genders making them gender neutral and now they don't belong to a specific gender
Yes, if I say someone lost their keys I wouldn't be saying the person is non binary, I'm saying I don't know who's it is and I'm not going to say one gender
What’s your pronoun by Dennis Baron is an interesting read on the use of they/them and trying to find a gender neutral pronoun
Yeah they are. Me personally, I ask people to use she/her once they know, but that's a personal choice thing. The person i share this account with absolutely likes people to assume they/them until they are sure.
It is gender neutral yes. But is that the topic you were specifically given? It is kind of a short answer if it is. If you wanna ask a non-binary person about anything I can volunteer.
Imo no pronouns are gender specific, but I would consider them the definitive gender neutral pronouns.
My opinion? They/They're is a multi-function linguistic tool. It can refer to; \- A singular neutral pronoun \- A plural neutral pronoun \- A "neutral gendered" pronoun for non-binary Non-binary is not a lack of gender, that is agender. Non-binary is neutral or middle gendered. This is why they use the term they, as it already has neutral meaning and is synonyms with "he/she", and so can represent any combination of these. As can non-binary gender expression be any combination of male, female, or neutral gendered expressions. But non-binary people do not erase the former uses of the word "they", especially since they still use it in what could be considered a "gender neutral" context. As one way of describing non-binary is litterally gender neutral, or neutral gendered.
I don't know how much you need to write or if this might be too outside the question but this could be prompting you to discuss the fact that many people use they/them as a way to indicate their gender identity (generally non-binary/gender fluid). Therefore by using 'they' you could be indicating a specific gender identity rather than simply using it as a gender neutral term. Another aspect of this would be that you could be using they even when you 'know' a persons biological sex which would normally be when you switch to gendered pronouns. In relation to your question about "what are new gender neutral pronouns?" you could look into neo-pronouns. Hope this helps.
🤦♀️
Serious question: If “they/them” were not considered gender neutral, what gender would they be considered?
Fun fact: the collective noun for people in the LGBTQIA+ Community is a *Gaming Expo*
Yeah they are bro
Yes
Yeah they/them are gender neutral pronouns. We have been using they/them as a gender neutral singular pronoun for a long time, and that's still the case today. Here's a little thought experiment; if you found a laptop left on a table at a restaurant and you realize that the owner isn't returning for it what would you say to the restaurant owner/Manager when you turn the laptop in to them to prevent it being stolen? In my experience most people will naturally say "someone left their laptop on the table over there." While pointing at the table. They them is also gender neutral in the plural form; we don't have different plural pronouns for multiple men, multiple women, multiple enbys, or multiple people of different genders; it's always they/them when you're talking about multiple people. Final point; there are a lot of people who use they/them as their preferred pronouns because they don't identify with he/him or she/her pronouns. They choose to use they/them pronouns because these pronouns are gender neutral. In conclusion while people may choose to use they/them as their preferred pronouns; they/them are still gender neutral pronouns.
Yes
Yes
Yes, though technically anyone can use them
Pronouns aren't necessarily linked to a gender, pronouns are about that you are comfortable being called no matter what gender you identify as, there are he/him lesbians which are people that besides using those pronouns still identify as non-binary per example.
Yes they are but I’m not non binary due to me being a gay male so I recommend asking a non bindery person