Believe it or not, languages change over time. They grow and adapt to fit their context.
Comment on Middle-schoolers after pronouns are successfully banned once and for all (A conservative utopia)
kitnaht@lemmy.world 4 months ago
[deleted]
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 4 months ago
WorkIsSlow@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Leave language alone motherfuckers not speaking in Old English. smh
howrar@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
Looks like you’re getting a lot of people riled up here.
I’m curious about why you find it so objectionable for someone to choose their pronouns but are fine with name changes.
kitnaht@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Because the rules of the English language are the same for everybody. You don’t just get to go around telling people they have to use a different ruleset for you or when they are around you.
howrar@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
Because the rules of the English language are the same for everybody. You don’t just get to go around telling people they have to use a different ruleset for you or when they are around you. It’s pretentious as fuck to expect people to cater their use of the language like that. That’s exactly what names are for.
Certainly, the rules of the English language exist for a reason. For me, that’s to communicate and convey information. If you unilaterally decide to change the language, then your words can fail to communicate what you intend. Although, I don’t think that applies here. Correct me if you think otherwise.
If anything, it seems like the “new” pronoun rules you see today are people trying to enforce the standard English rules. He/she communicates someone’s gender presentation. If you refer to “him” between someone who looks masculine versus feminine, then you’ll assume that the “him” refers to the one that’s masculine-presenting. That’s how English usually works, and it works this way to allow us more efficient communication. Of course, this doesn’t work 100% of the time because there are many axes and a gradient on each of these axes between what we consider masculine or feminine. What would the English language dictate when you’re near one extreme on some axes and the other extreme on others? I don’t believe we have any well defined and useful rules for this besides the preference of the person it’s referring to. Again, do correct me if I get anything wrong.
flerp@lemm.ee 4 months ago
But… you can change all of those things, adverbs, participles, adjectives, predicates, you can change all of them by changing your behaviour and characteristics… You can’t even get your own stupid arguments to be correct.
kitnaht@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Oh look how smart you are by pointing out that YOU can change those things by acting differently; and the other thing I’m referring to is you forcing OTHERS to act differently.
brbposting@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
nuh uh.
Newfangled terminology
Thoughts on prescribing use of the OG word only?
You don’t get to change your adverbs, participles, adjectives, predicates, etc.
True, not in repressive societies. And look, I have limits, I’ll be hard pressed to refer to someone as squirrelkinlifragilisticexpialidocious every time. But you’d made a reasonable accommodation in polite company I figure?
GBU_28@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Bold take, here on Lemmy. Let’s see how it goes for them
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 months ago
You don’t get to change your adverbs, participles, adjectives, predicates, etc.
Says who? You? Are you the arbiter of language?
I’ll call you Mrs. I’ll call you Mr. But the rest, nuh uh.
Really? Not even Ms.? Because I imagine a lot of younger women would feel pretty insulted by you calling them Mrs.
kitnaht@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Oh you. Of course that would incluse Ms. :D
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Why “of course?” Again, are you the arbiter of language?
kitnaht@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I simply follow the rules, I don’t attempt to change them and force everyone else to follow mine.
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Culture War aside, that’s not how language works. You have as much understanding to the history of language as you have basic dignity to other human beings.