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What should we use as gender-neutral pronouns for non-binary people? What should we use as gender-neutral pronouns for non-binary people?
We should use the already-familiar "they/them" as a gender-neutral pronoun for non-binary persons We should use the already-familiar "they/them" as a gender-neutral pronoun for non-binary persons
We should use a new set of gender-neutral pronouns for non-binary persons We should use a new set of gender-neutral pronouns for non-binary persons
It should be up to the individual to decide what their pronouns should be It should be up to the individual to decide what their pronouns should be
Using they/them is already familiar to us Using they/them is already familiar to us
Many already accept they/they as proper grammar Many already accept they/they as proper grammar
It is improper grammar to use singular "they/them" It is improper grammar to use singular "they/them"
A new gender-neutral pronoun would be more meaningful A new gender-neutral pronoun would be more meaningful
Individuals may not agree with any current pronoun options Individuals may not agree with any current pronoun options
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What should we use as gender-neutral pronouns for non-binary people?
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We should use a new set of gender-neutral pronouns for non-binary persons

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A new gender-neutral pronoun would be more meaningful

Using something new would give those in the LGBTQ community a set of pronouns which they can lay claim to. It would be a point of pride to "own" a unique set of pronouns made specifically for the LGBTQ community.
English Gender Identity LGBTQ
Albert Geoff Nunberg
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The Argument

Individuals within the LGBTQ community should be given the chance to create a new set of gender-neutral pronouns, or make official use of the unique ones which have already been made. This would give people a chance to "own" their gender identities and have something unique which they can be proud of. There are already a ton of options for new gender-neutral pronouns out there; including, but not limited to, ze/hir, fae/faer, ve/ver, xe/xem, etc. All of these are unique and any of them would enrich the English language while also showing respect to those of a non-binary gender.[1] Singular they/them is not a good choice because it would be too hard to adapt to grammatically. Changing the meaning of these words would only cause confusion for most people. Therefore, creating a new set of pronouns would be the better option, as it would be far easier to adapt to something new.[2]

Counter arguments

Singular they/them would be easier to adapt to than creating something new. Trying to introduce a new word into the English language would feel alien and people would balk at being forced to adapt to a foreign word. Singular they/them, on the other hand, already has a history of being used in a gender-neutral way; so to adopt it as a set of gender-neutral pronouns would feel more natural and be far easier to adapt to.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Creating or using a new set of gender-neutral pronouns is more meaningful and would be easier to adapt to.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Using something new would be more difficult to adapt to than using singular they/them as it is already a familiar part of the English language.

References

  1. https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/opinion/gender-neutral-pronouns.html
This page was last edited on Friday, 17 Apr 2020 at 12:31 UTC

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