Jesse Fraga/Contributing Writer
On September 17, 2019, the non-binary pronoun “they” was added to the Merriam Webster Dictionary in its singular form, marking a historic day in queer politic and linguistics.
A largely debated topic in the English language has been whether it is “grammatically correct” to use they/them pronouns in reference to a singular person.
People who identify as non-binary have gender identities that usually do not align with male or female pronouns, which are he/him or she/her, but usually prefer to use gender neutral they/them pronouns.
In a recent study, The Report of the U.S. Transgender Survey found that about 35% of transgender people identify as non-binary, making use of the pronoun in validation of their identity. This number continues to grow as gender-diverse movements and demographic shifts continue to develop.
Oftentimes, when someone asks to be referred to using they/them pronouns, people are quick to shut down the idea of using the preferred pronoun because it’s not the “norm.” However, “they” has been used in its singular form in day-to-day language, dating back from the 1950’s.
Martha Schoolman, an FIU Associate Professor in the Department of English, identifies as a cisgender lesbian woman and is an active ally towards the transgender community.
Schoolman says there has always be a singular for they. For those who question the long-term existence of the use of this pronoun.
“20 years ago it was sort of a ‘closetty’ thing to refer to your date as ‘they’, like you were trying not to reveal their gender,” Schoolman said, reflecting on the development of the non-binary pronoun’s context. “This is the first time I’ve been aware of a generational shift in terms of queer people experiencing their nonconformity in different ways.”
Even for those who identify as non-binary, it can take a bit of adjustment to correctly refer to others by their preferred pronoun.
“I’m literally non-binary and use they/them, and it’s still a learning process,” said Aaron Pupo, a senior English major.
Schoolman now incorporates gender neutral terms in her lectures, as a form of anonymity when referencing unknown authors, rather than he or she. Schoolman also makes it a point to use preferred pronouns for students in her class.
“Who am I to decide what pronouns they want to be referred to as?,” Schoolman said.
Miriam Webster added “they” to the 2019 dictionary, along with over 530 other words. Some are light-hearted, like “sesh,” “inspo” and “pickleball.” Other words are more serious.
“Several new entries are for words that address the complex ways we view ourselves and others and how we all fit in,” Miriam Webster stated in a press release on their website.
Along with words like “they,” the dictionary added words like “colorism” and “inclusive.”
“There’s the question of ‘are dictionaries descriptive, or do they tell us what to do?’ Everyone assumes the dictionary tells you what to do, but something that the Merriam Webster does is they describe what we do,” said Schoolman.
Schoolman thinks it took a large enough mass of people to urge the addition of this word to the dictionary in order for it to finally be added, which may explain why it’s taken so long.
While this is definitely progress, many other queer people, like Pupo, aren’t entirely pleased with the amount of time its taken to add the singular form of “they” to the dictionary.
“It’s a nice gesture, I suppose, but singular ‘they’ and non-normative gender identities have been around a lot longer than the word-committee at Merriam Webster, and will be around a lot longer,” said Pupo.
While this is overall a large step in terms of representation and visibility of the non-binary community, there is still plenty to be done.
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