4 ms·

“signed off by his/her/zir/their instructor to operate” What does “zir” mean? I’ve seen it around but can’t remember where.

cecilpl2 4y ago
It's a gender neutral pronoun.
- imwillofficial 4y ago
  How is it different than using “their”?
  - mattmaroon 4y ago
    It shows you’re woke.
    - mhb 4y ago
      And/or using it ironically, as he does.
  - cecilpl2 4y ago
    Some people feel like "their" is plural and therefore invented a singular gender-neutral pronoun.
    - zzo38computer 4y ago
      "Their" is grammatically plural, even though what it refers to may be singular, plural, or neither (or, in some cases, may be unknown). "You" is also grammatically plural, even though what it refers to may be singular, plural, or neither. (Singular they seems to be from the 14th century, so it isn't really new.)
  - mhb 4y ago
    It is clear that it is singular.
  - shiomiru 4y ago
    Unlike singular their, it's non-standard.
CDSlice 4y ago
I’ve seen it used as a gender neutral pronoun and some people prefer it to his/her but most people now just use “their” when they don’t know don’t know the gender of the person they are talking about.
whimsicalism 4y ago
it's an old-style gender neutral pronoun that has mostly fallen out of favor
lordgrenville 4y ago
It's a phrase Greenspun uses a lot on his blog, mocking excessive concern with gender pronouns. (In between a lot of interesting content, he constantly bangs on about 2 topics: how dumb he thinks liberals are, and how US divorce law discriminates against men.)
- TillE 4y ago
  Somehow it's always family court with these guys.
aksss 4y ago
With woke pronouns, I feel like an 87 yo man around tiktok - don't care, not going to learn it, not enough time left on Earth to give a crap, happy to glide towards the grave without giving it a second thought. Y'all do you.
- wolverine876 4y ago
  Then why post about it?
  - aksss 4y ago
    again, 87 yo around tiktok - voicing my unbidden opinion is part of the package.
- blarg1 4y ago
  I feel like that around anything after icq and msn messenger.

cecilpl2 4y ago

It's a gender neutral pronoun.

imwillofficial 4y ago
How is it different than using “their”?
- mattmaroon 4y ago
  It shows you’re woke.
  - mhb 4y ago
    And/or using it ironically, as he does.
- cecilpl2 4y ago
  Some people feel like "their" is plural and therefore invented a singular gender-neutral pronoun.
  - zzo38computer 4y ago
    "Their" is grammatically plural, even though what it refers to may be singular, plural, or neither (or, in some cases, may be unknown). "You" is also grammatically plural, even though what it refers to may be singular, plural, or neither. (Singular they seems to be from the 14th century, so it isn't really new.)
- mhb 4y ago
  It is clear that it is singular.
- shiomiru 4y ago
  Unlike singular their, it's non-standard.

CDSlice 4y ago

I’ve seen it used as a gender neutral pronoun and some people prefer it to his/her but most people now just use “their” when they don’t know don’t know the gender of the person they are talking about.

whimsicalism 4y ago

it's an old-style gender neutral pronoun that has mostly fallen out of favor

lordgrenville 4y ago

It's a phrase Greenspun uses a lot on his blog, mocking excessive concern with gender pronouns. (In between a lot of interesting content, he constantly bangs on about 2 topics: how dumb he thinks liberals are, and how US divorce law discriminates against men.)

TillE 4y ago
Somehow it's always family court with these guys.

aksss 4y ago

With woke pronouns, I feel like an 87 yo man around tiktok - don't care, not going to learn it, not enough time left on Earth to give a crap, happy to glide towards the grave without giving it a second thought. Y'all do you.

wolverine876 4y ago
Then why post about it?
- aksss 4y ago
  again, 87 yo around tiktok - voicing my unbidden opinion is part of the package.
blarg1 4y ago
I feel like that around anything after icq and msn messenger.