近日,美國韋氏詞典宣布重新定義單詞“they”的含義,原先這一代詞用來指代“他們”、“她們”和“它們”的復數(shù)概念,如今還可以用作單數(shù)。
不少網(wǎng)友驚呼,本來英文語法規(guī)則就復雜,這下更容易混淆了!
Merriam-Webster added a new definition of the word "they" to its dictionary, declaring the pronoun may be used to refer to a "single person whose gender identity is nonbinary".
第4條定義為新增條目,used to refer to a single person whose gender equality is nonbinary(指代一個性別認同并非二元的人)。
Nonbinary在這里指“非二元性別的”,也被廣泛稱作Genderqueer(性別酷兒),用來指稱那些超越傳統(tǒng)意義上對男性或女性的二元劃分、不單純屬于男性或女性的自我性別認同。
韋氏詞典在9月17日通過社交網(wǎng)絡宣布了這一決定,這標志著官方對這個詞的認可。隨著非二元性別身份為人們熟知,they這個詞用成單數(shù)也愈發(fā)普遍。
Merriam-Webster’s announcement, made on Twitter on Tuesday, marked an official stamp of approval on a term that has become increasingly common as non-binary identities become more visible than ever.
9月13日,英國歌手Sam Smith就曾宣布將自己的代名詞改為“they”或“them”。