3 ms·

I'm invoking their gender, needlessly. A mark of 'good' English is a lack of unnecessary detail - or so I've heard. I don't remark on Atwood's age, or skin col

by Festro 5y ago

I'm invoking their gender, needlessly. A mark of 'good' English is a lack of unnecessary detail - or so I've heard. I don't remark on Atwood's age, or skin colour when referring to them. Why invoke their sex or gender? YOU find it weird and jarring. But don't worry even if you don't get used to it plenty of other people are fine with it. Generationally speaking, this appears to be a gradual shift that can't be stopped.

handrous 5y ago
> A mark of 'good' English is a lack of unnecessary detail - or so I've heard. Good English is largely about making choices least likely to confuse or annoy one's audience.
- Festro 5y ago
  Nobody can predict what will confuse or annoy their audience. True that people will try not to go out of their way to confuse or annoy their audience. If gender neutral pronouns confuse or annoy people I really don't think that's the author's fault. That's far more on the ignorance of the reader. Do people who don't understand gender neutral pronouns get similarly confused and annoyed when they see a word they haven't seen before? That's a frustrating existence if true.
  - handrous 5y ago
    > Nobody can predict what will confuse or annoy their audience. Perfectly? No. Good writers manage to do it most of the time, nonetheless. "Do whatever's most-normal" is a good rule to follow, absent anything else. If that rule had been followed, we wouldn't have this whole unfortunate thread. > Do people who don't understand gender neutral pronouns get similarly confused and annoyed when they see a word they haven't seen before? That's a frustrating existence if true. This is about breaking expectations, not failure to understand gender-neutral pronouns. You applied them in an unusual context.
inawarminister 5y ago
Ah, but lots of languages invented grammatical genders on their own, or use a special gender-signifying pronouns even if the rest of the language lack genders. I should know, my native language lack grammatical genders entirely. Yet we use novel words that specify the sex and gender of people anyway. So the gradual shift can't be stopped, yes, it will move around and around. For that is the beauty of linguistical evolution.

by Festro 5y ago

handrous 5y ago

> A mark of 'good' English is a lack of unnecessary detail - or so I've heard. Good English is largely about making choices least likely to confuse or annoy one's audience.

Festro 5y ago
Nobody can predict what will confuse or annoy their audience. True that people will try not to go out of their way to confuse or annoy their audience. If gender neutral pronouns confuse or annoy people I really don't think that's the author's fault. That's far more on the ignorance of the reader. Do people who don't understand gender neutral pronouns get similarly confused and annoyed when they see a word they haven't seen before? That's a frustrating existence if true.
- handrous 5y ago
  > Nobody can predict what will confuse or annoy their audience. Perfectly? No. Good writers manage to do it most of the time, nonetheless. "Do whatever's most-normal" is a good rule to follow, absent anything else. If that rule had been followed, we wouldn't have this whole unfortunate thread. > Do people who don't understand gender neutral pronouns get similarly confused and annoyed when they see a word they haven't seen before? That's a frustrating existence if true. This is about breaking expectations, not failure to understand gender-neutral pronouns. You applied them in an unusual context.

inawarminister 5y ago

Ah, but lots of languages invented grammatical genders on their own, or use a special gender-signifying pronouns even if the rest of the language lack genders. I should know, my native language lack grammatical genders entirely. Yet we use novel words that specify the sex and gender of people anyway. So the gradual shift can't be stopped, yes, it will move around and around. For that is the beauty of linguistical evolution.