2019 is coming to a close and we, language Lovers have to check out the list of new words that made it to the dictionaries. We want to know which words were picked, out as the most used, most searched for. Surprise, surprise! The editors of Merriam-Webster have declared, the personal pronoun ‘They” as the word of the year 2019! The choice was based, on these facts: There was a 313% increase in took-ups in the dictionary’s website for “They”, compared with 2018. “So many peop[e were talking about this word,” said an editor. Merriam-Webster recently added a new definition for “They” in its online dictionary. It relates to a person whose gender is taken as non-binary (not he, not she). The American Psychological Association endorsed, “They” as a singular third-person pronoun in its style guide. Said APA: The singular “They” is a way for writers to avoid making assumptions about gender when it is not known.”
Example: I want to go to the kitchen to gift the cook whether they (not “he” or “she”) agree or not. ‘They” stands for a single person, but you use the verb “agree” to go with the plural “they.” That is ok. We all do it. Think of the pronoun “you.” It was originally the plural form for the second person. “Thou art (are) great, sire!” By the 1700s, “you” began to be used instead, of “thou.” This is the singular pronoun for the second person, but it took a plural, verb with it. Example: You are the person I am looking for.
Watch, out for news from the other dictionaries. Find out the “words of 2019.”
Picture Credit : Google
