Gender Neutral Pronoun: Is That A Thing?
These days, we are witnessing an increasing acceptance of all the different sexual identities and moving towards developing a gender-neutral language. Some of the languages around the world, like Chinese and Persian, don’t assign separate genders and are already gender-neutral. Grammatically gendered languages are shifting more towards becoming gender nonconforming.
The LGBTQ linguists and activists around the world have been highly involved in championing a more inclusive language. The cultural visibility of the transgender, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming communities has expanded. To avoid struggling with the technical aspects, they have created new binary terms and retooled the already existing language.
Gender diversity now has firmly entrenched itself in our society. It is a term used to describe gender identities that are demonstrations beyond the binary framework. Your gender is not merely an identification of you as a male or female.
The Shadow Of Gender Neutral Pronoun Is Already There In The English Language : Thon
Except for assigning a masculine or feminine singular pronoun, English grammar does not distinguish between genders. The word ‘they’ has found its use as singular and a gender-neutral pronoun. Critics often argue that ‘they’ can be both singular and plural, creating confusion. World-renowned personalities of English literature Shakespeare and Jane Austen are among the famed English writers who used ‘they’ and ‘their’ as singular pronouns till the Victorian era grammarians shifted their course.
The Merriam Webster dictionary in 1934 introduced a singular gender-neutral pronoun called ‘thon.’ However, the word failed to retail its place in the third edition of the Unabridged Merriam Webster’s. Third Edition of New International Dictionary. “Thon” is a short version for “that one” but was dropped for its lack of usage.
Thank The Gen Z For Bringing Inclusivity Back To The English Language
The younger generation, also popularly known as Gen Z, are much more accepting of gender-neutral pronouns. Fifty-nine percent of the younger generation is vocal in accepting the new genders.
There is nothing wrong with the usage of gendered pronouns, but it becomes highly limiting. The pronouns ‘he’ or ‘she’ come with certain expectations about how one would express their identity to the world. People who do not want to assign themselves to this binary identity will find this hindering their self-expression. Belonging from a patriarchal society, we subconsciously use terms like ‘hey guys.’ We take it for granted that we can assign every individual with male terms.
Gender Neutral Pronouns Are Again Becoming The Norm
Japan Airlines changed their greeting announcement from “ladies and gentlemen” to “attention to all passengers” and “welcome everybody.” This was aimed at respecting every individual and their personal identities. Furthermore, in 2019 Merriam-Webster declared the use of “they” as a replacement to traditional ‘he/she.’
Several workplaces, brands, and even the Indian cinema industry are actively helping bring awareness for using gender-neutral language. Doctor Shailaja Gaikwad, a gender expert, says, “referring to people by the pronoun they determined for themselves is essential to human dignity, and it allows everyone to celebrate multiple intersecting identities among people.”
Some of the highly renowned companies of India like the TATA group, Lalit group of hotels, Infosys, RBS, Godrej, HP India, IBM are some companies that use gender-neutral pronouns for their employees prefer that they determine their pronouns.
The Australian airlines make sure their employees refrain from using gender-specific words like ‘honey’ and ‘guys.’ The terms’ partner,’ ‘spouse’ and ‘parents’ are used instead of ‘husband and wife’ and ‘mum and dad.’
Brands are sensitizing themselves to the usage of pronouns. For example, in 2018, Google introduced a feature that no longer automatically suggests pronouns indicating a specific gender. They are also working towards introducing gender-neutral emojis. Besides having 37 gender options on its app, Tinder encourages gender-neutral pronouns for its users and employees.
The film ‘Sheer Qorma’ featuring Divya Dutta was a movie where the protagonist played a non-binary character. There was highly responsible storytelling and dialogues using terms like ‘they,’ ‘them,’ and ‘their,’ which is highly progressive.
English Is A Fluid Language. Why Should The Pronoun System Be Rigid?
The English pronoun system is not fixed. Several centuries ago, gender-neutral pronouns were in use, followed by years where binary pronouns were preferred. Still, with extreme progression in inclusive living and acceptance of one’s identity, we again are driven to use gender-inclusive pronouns. Therefore, we must make a conscious effort as content writers while creating content to respect every individual’s gender identities.
Debadrita Sengupta
Pooh is a bright young undergrad pursuing B.Sc Geology in Banaras Hindu University. She brings in fresh perspective and a reality check for the youth. She is a budding Fashion & Lifestyle blogger and has a fashion blog of her own. Debadrita loves to read and sing and can make you mind-travel to different places with her enchanting travel writings.
