The American Dialect Society has chosen the unlikely “(my) pronouns” (as in “my pronouns are she/her”) as Word of the Year 2019.
Taking determiners to the next level, ADS also recognized the singular “they” (Word of the Year 2015) as its Word of the Decade.
“When a basic part of speech like the pronoun becomes a vital indicator of social trends, linguists pay attention,” according to Ben Zimmer, chair of the group’s New Words Committee and language columnist for The Wall Street Journal.
Traditionally regarded as one of the parts of speech (though increasingly considered a single class), the complex pronoun can be plural or singular, personal or possessive, reflexive or reciprocal, demonstrative or indefinite, relative or interrogative.
Recently, they have been co-opted into the gender identity movement.
“The selection of ‘(my) pronouns’ as Word of the Year speaks to how the personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse,” Zimmer said in a statement.
Runners up included pop culture darlings “OK Boomer,” “cancel,” and “Karen.”
“That trend is also reflected in singular ‘they‘ being chosen as Word of the Decade,” he continued, “with a growing recognition of the use of ‘they’ for those whose identities don’t conform to the binary of ‘he’ or ‘she.'”
The singular “they” has a long history in English, but the term as a non-binary pronoun is relatively new—and immensely important.
Its acknowledgement by Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, and ADS is a significant step forward for folks whose pronouns are “they” and “them”—traditionally used to refer to a single person of unknown or undetermined gender.
The term gained global attention thanks to entertainers like Sam Smith, Asia Kate Dillon, Tommy Dorfman, Indya Moore, and Lachlan Watson, and has been prominent in the news.
Word of the Decade nominees also included “#BlackLivesMatter,” “climate,” “emoji,” “meme,” “#MeToo,” “opioid crisis,” “selfie,” and “woke.”
The American Dialect Society’s long-running affair—the oldest such vote anywhere—is informed by members’ expertise in the study of words. But it’s not the solemn occasion you may imagine.
In fact, the organization’s linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students, and independent scholars “act in fun,” highlighting that language change “is normal, ongoing, and entertaining.”
ADS goes on to choose additional annual superlatives, like Political Word of the Year (“quid pro quo”), Slang/Informal Word of the Year (“and I oop–”), Euphemism of the Year (“people of means”), and Digital Word of the Year (“im*peach emoji*”).
In a companion poll, sibling alliance the American Name Society chose “Arrokoth” (a far-flung minor planet) as its 15th annual Name of the Year 2019.
More on Geek.com:
- Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year Is a Big Mood
- Google Teaches You to Pronounce Difficult Words
- The Weirdest and Most Popular Memes of the Decade
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