this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2024
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[–] Vipsu 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

In Finnish language there are no gender specific pronouns only gender neutral one hän/hänen.

They/them still sounds weird to use even if I know it can be used to refer single person. When talking or writing fast I'll still often accidentally default to using he/him even for females which I then have to correct.

[–] devfuuu 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

In my language everything little word is gendered so everything you talk about is bound by it. It's extremely confusing thinking or understanding how to describe something in terms "non-gendered".

I really am supportive of all the changes needed in the world, but the use of "they" is very confusing in a singular form for people who don't have it as first language and concepts and everything was learned by mapping stuff to other language, so please invent some word for it and go with it. It's already strange and always difficult understanding the usage of "you" in singular vs plural and formal or not speech.

I really wish my language also had gender neutral pronouns, it just sound so much simpler and better.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

please invent some word for it and go with it

There ~~is~~ are more than one word. It's going to take quite some time until agreement on the use will distill and become accepted, though.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago (15 children)

Dear native English speakers, would you mind inventing a new word either for gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun, or one for what "they" mean to foreign English speakers since you are so insisted in differing its meaning from the text books you shipped us decades ago?

English is so inconsistent at this point. Only the third-person pronouns have gender in singular form, the plural form has no gender and now you are telling us the gender-less form can be singular now? How confusing!

English is widespread partly because it has simple alphabet and relatively easy grammar. I don't mind someone being in LGBT+ group at all, but could you please don't mess with the language?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

As the comic shows, "they" ("their," in this case) was already used as a singular when the gender was unknown. The only change is it's now also used if the person's gender is known and isn't "he" or "she."

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