• JeSuisUnHombre@lemm.ee
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    7 months ago

    So that means that’s the best way for it to work in the future? Having a distinction between singular and plural is useful, so why *not adjust our language and repurpose the not useful gendered pronouns?

      • JeSuisUnHombre@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        I understand that, my point is that they’re not useful. Or at least it would be much more useful to have a singular and a plural pronoun, because that distinction is more relevant to modern speech.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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          7 months ago

          Language is as useful as people make it and people have been happy to use the singular ‘they’ along with gendered pronouns for centuries. I don’t see the issue.

          • JeSuisUnHombre@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            You could use a similar argument to stop literally any innovation. Things don’t have to be an issue to be able to be improved.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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              7 months ago

              Language isn’t about innovation unless it is an artificial language. People don’t choose their words based on what is innovative.

              • JeSuisUnHombre@lemm.ee
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                7 months ago

                Are we not intelligent enough to make language whatever we want it to be? We actually do that all the time with political correctness and ungendering words like policeman.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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                  7 months ago

                  “We” are not under any obligation to make language whatever you want it to be.

                  Again, most people have no problem with the singular ‘they.’ You do. Why should they change to accommodate you?

                  • JeSuisUnHombre@lemm.ee
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                    7 months ago

                    I’m not obligating anything or asking for any accommodation. I’m trying to make an argument for a better system than what we currently have, whereas you just seem to be saying ‘change is stupid’.