Can We Use THEY As A Singular Pronoun In English?

The English language is a monster.  Many believe it contains more words than any other language in the world, although this argument is unlikely to ever be proven.  Yet how can such a complex language like English lack basic coherence?  How can English have close to a million words and not one of those words address gender-neutral singular pronoun.  One of my biggest gripes with English is the universal acceptance of a gender neutral singular pronoun.

I, along with many other people, frequently use the pronoun they as singular.  Let me give you an example.  If someone has an idea for a gender-neutral singular pronoun, they should speak up.  In this example, the subject someone and the verb to have show singular agreement.  In the main clause, the subject someone is referenced again, but this time using the "plural" pronoun they.  Whether or not this is okay has been an ongoing debate. 

An instructor from the School of Journalism might say that the coordinate he or she is grammatically correct when referencing gender-neutral pronouns.  If someone has an idea for a gender-neutral singular pronoun, he or she should speak up.  Or, some deem it acceptable for the author of an article or body of work to use their own gender to represent a gender-neutral singular pronoun.  If someone has an idea for a gender-neutral singular pronoun, he should speak up.  But of course this is not considered politically correct and some my find it offensive.  So what's the solution?

Even though the singular they is commonly used in English, many people still consider it to be grammatically incorrect.  There are actually a lot of people out there care about debunking the use of they as singular pronoun.  Google lately came under fire when the company altered the Google+ social network.  In Google+ people are allowed to hide their gender, which prompts the use of they and their when updates are listed.  Google's product manager even had to address the grammar issue in a video outlining the new privacy feature.  Dennis Baron, a well-known grammarian and professor of English and Linguistics at the University of Chicago, has done extensive research into the lack of a gender neutral pronoun.  He has cited numerous examples throughout history of attempts to coin a pronoun to replace the cumbersome coordinate he or she.  Some suggested alternatives include:  thon, his-her, le, ne, and ip.  All attempts have failed, probably because these words sound foreign.  Perhaps someday linguists, grammarians, and the general public will agree on a gender-neutral singular pronoun.  But until that day, I'm just going to stick with they.  It just sounds right!  Besides, the singular they already has its own Wikipedia page. :)  Singular they - Wikipedia Page.

Other arguments for the singular pronoun THEY

• http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2012/01/05/dogma-and-evidence/
• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/magazine/26FOB-onlanguage-t.html?_r=0

Borrow vs. Lend (Can you borrow me some advice?)

The verbs borrow and lend are often confused by English learners all over the world.  There are myriad of reasons for this.  One reason is that the verbs have a similar meaning, but are used in opposite directions. Borrow means "to take," while lend means "to give."   In order to distinguish which to use, one trick is to try substituting "take" for borrow and "give" for lend.  

Another reason for such confusion is because sometimes in a learners native language there may be only one word to signify both meanings.  For example, in Spanish the verb prestar is commonly used to indicate meanings of borrow and lend, although the true meaning of prestar is closer to lend.  When I lived in Namibia, the native language in my area was called Kwanyama.  In Kwanyama there is one word which signifies the English meaning of borrow/help/lend - kwafelenge.  This caused much trouble for the learners, as they'd sometimes ask me, "Sir, can you help me a pencil?"  However, more often than not they'd confuse borrow and lend as the the story below illustrates...       

“Mr. Wes, can you please borrow me $2?” asked a boy in grade 12 as I was walking home.  He was standing with a group of friends, each smiling to see how I’d react to this boy's request.  Getting asked for money was something I’d grown accustomed to in rural Namibia, and from time to time I’d get asked by some of the kids at school.  Interestingly enough, no matter where I went, everyone would always ask for $2.  Not $1, $3, or $4 - $2 seemed to be the standardized panhandling amount.  I had a longstanding precedence never to give learners money.  However, the education was free.  And if they asked me like this, I’d always correct them.

“You mean to say lend,” I told the boy.  “Borrow means to take something.  Lend means to give something.  So what should the question be?” I asked.

“Mr. Wes, can you lend me $2?” the boy appropriately corrected himself.  I told him good job and patted him on the shoulder.  He looked proud, and probably thought I may actually give him the money.  However, the lesson was not over.

“Now you realize,” I continued, “that in either case, the intention is that you’re going to return the money.  In this case, you plan to pay me back the $2.”

“Ouh, sir, but you are very rich!” the boy protested, and some of the others laughed.

“Nevertheless, if you ask me to lend you $2, then it means you plan to pay me back.  Now do you want to pay me back?”

“Of course not,” the boy said with a smile. 

“Okay, then what should you ask me?” 

The boy contemplated this for a moment.  I think he thought I was trying to trick him.  He looked to his peers for some assistance.  Finally, one of the boys said, “Have…use have.”

The boy turned to me again and asked, “Sir, can I have $2?”

Now we were getting somewhere.  I’m not sure if this little lend/borrow exercise would actually stick, but it was a common mistake that continuously needed to be addressed.  Of course, in the end, all the boy would have was an explanation.  But then again, most would agree that education is priceless.

What the hell is a portmanteau?

A portmanteau is word many people probably don't know of.  Yet, we use portmanteaus all the time in our daily conversations.  A portmanteau has two different meanings.

1 
:  a large suitcase

2
:  a word whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms

List of some of common portmanteaus

Smog - smoke and fog

Brunch - breakfast and lunch

Spanglish - Spanish and English

Cheeseburger - cheese and hamburger

Bromance - brother and romance

Moobs - men and boobs

Cineplex - cinema and complex

Motel - motor and hotel

Sexting - sex and texting

Mexicali - Mexico and California

Spork - spoon and fork

Romcom - Romantic and Comedy

If you can think of any other portmanteaus, feel free to leave them in the comments below. :)

Among vs. Amongst

Among all the words in the English language, some have variances.  Among can also be used as amongst, although it's usage varies amongst English speaking countries.  Among is commonly used in American English, while amongst is sometimes used in British, Australian, or Canadian English.  However, among is the universally accepted frontrunner.

Among, as well as amongst, are prepositions.  Among means in or through the midst of, amongst several other meanings.  Among also means:  

1 - surrounded by <hidden among the trees>

 

2 - in company or association with <living among artists>

 

3 - by or through the aggregate of <discontent among the poor>

 

4 - in the number or class of <wittiest among poets> <among other things she was president of her college class>

 

5 - in shares to each of <divided among the heirs>

 

6a - through the reciprocal acts of <quarrel among themselves>

6b - through the joint action of <made a fortune among themselves>

So should we use among or amongst?  Keep in mind, among is more frequently used and accepted than amongst.  Among other things, remember who your audience is.  However, if you choose to use amongst, there may be discontent amongst some grammarians.  Yet the most important rule of thumb is to be consistent.  Among and amongst, although interchangeable, do not appear agreeable when dually used in books, articles, or even blog posts such as this one. 

A Little Girl Without A "With"

A former colleague of mine in South Korea wrote...

I was observed the other day in class.  I thought it was going to suck, but it was pretty good.  For much of the week my class of elementary school students had been talking about restaurant vocabulary, expressions, and terminology.

I asked a little girl, “What do you do with your family?”

“I eat out my family.”  She promptly responded.

I couldn’t help it.  I just started laughing.  I even had to walk out of the room in order to compose myself.  Oh with, how your absence brightened my day.

10 New Words that are OFFICIALLY English

Every year, month, even day it seems like words are being added to the English language.  The 3rd Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary should be released around 2037 and contain over 900,000 entries.  Here are 10 new words that can now be found as part of the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, two of the leading English authorities.

1. Tweet (n):  a post made on the Twitter online message service.


2. Social Media (n):  forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.


3. Bromance (n):  a close nonsexual friendship between men.


4. Cougar (n):  a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man


5. Frankenfood (n):  genetically modified food.


6. Doughnut hole (n):  a small ball-shaped doughnut:it’s 9.30 on a wintry Saturday morning, and we’re sipping coffee and eating doughnut holes.


7. Locavore (n):  a person whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food.


8. Bibimbap (n):  a Korean dish consisting of rice topped with sautéed vegetables, chilli paste, and beef or other meat, sometimes with the addition of a raw or fried egg.


9. Red velvet cake (n): a rich chocolate-flavored sponge cake with a distinctive reddish color, typically with layers of butter-cream or cream cheese icing.


10. Crowdsourcing (n):  the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community.

Little Kids Trying to Learn English

This is a short clip from a Kindergarten class practicing their English at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH).  On this day the kids were going over fruits and they were very animated. 

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos is home for abandoned, orphaned, and other at-risk children who live in conditions of poverty.  Currently, there are nine different homes throughout Latin America.  For more information about NPH check out http://www.nph.org/.

Hemingway's Best Work

The story goes that in the 1920's, colleagues of Ernest Hemingway bet him that he couldn't write a complete story - with a beginning, middle, and end - in just six words.  Hemingway surprised everyone by turning out what he later considered to be his greatest work.

For sale: baby shoes, never used.

 

10 Fun Factoids about English

1. Only two English words in current use end in "-gry". They are "angry" and "hungry". 


2. The  most common letter in English is "e".


3. There are only 4 English words in common use ending in "-dous": hazardous, horrendous, stupendous, and tremendous.


4. The longest English word without a true vowel (a, e, i, o or u) is "rhythm."


5. The shortest complete sentence in English is the following. "I am."


6. The word "alphabet" comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, bēta.


7. The only word in English that ends with the letters "-mt" is "dreamt" (which is a variant spelling of "dreamed") - as well of course as "undreamt" :)


8. The word "triskaidekaphobia" means "fear of Friday the 13th". It also means "superstition about the number thirteen" in general.


9. A sentence that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet is called a "pangram".


10. More English words begin with the letter "s" than with any other letter.

My Favorite English Joke in Korea

There was a car accident on a main road in downtown Seoul.  The driver of a vehicle swerved off the road and crashed into a tree. A foreign tourist, who was passing by on the sidewalk, saw the whole thing and ran over to assist the driver. He opened the door, concerned for the driver’s safety, to see if the man needed immediate medical attention. The foreigner asked the driver, “Sir, how are you?” The driver, badly shaken up, looked over at the foreigner and said, “I’m fine, thank you. And you?”


Why is this joke funny?  Simple...rote learning!  What is rote learning?  Go teach in Korea and you'll find out.

Inappropriate English - Music to My Ears

A long time ago I taught English in Daegu, South Korea.  I remember walking into E-Mart – Korea’s version of Wal-Mart – about two months after I arrived.  As I strolled down the grocery aisles my ears detected something unusual.  When living in a foreign country your ears tend to hone in on familiar sounds.  The music that was playing throughout the store was in English, and perhaps a bit too loud for the backdrop of the milk and cheese section where I currently stood.  In addition, the type of music being played was extremely peculiar. It was the song, Closer, by Nine Inch Nails.

Now I don’t know if you’ve heard the song but the chorus alone is inappropriate enough not to be played throughout a public area frequented by families.  I looked around the store to see if anyone else took notice of the explicit lyrics.  You let me penetrate you.  A mother and son passed by mirthfully, pushing a shopping cart.  I want to f- you like an animal!  An elderly couple ambled over, smiled at me, and grabbed a carton of milk.  It’s your sex I can smell.  A young female E-mart employee bobbed her head to the music as she offered cheese samples to shoppers.  I want to f- you like an animal!  Nobody seemed to care about the songs profane sexual content.  They just didn’t understand.  And Daegu is a conservative area by Korean standards, so I could only imagine E-Mart patrons would have been up in arms if they knew what these lyrics meant.  Yet everyone pleasantly carried on with their shopping as if they may have been listening to the lovable lyrics of Barney and Friends. 

Comprehension of the English language is a challenge for many Koreans.  Not just listening, but reading comprehension as well.  You don’t have to look far to find inappropriate English.  Even on some of the country’s national products.  For example, there’s a food snack in Korea that’s called a Dick Stick.  It’s a cookie stick that’s covered in chocolate.  Of course some may proclaim that it’s just a name.  Why does it have to have perverted connotations?  Truth be told, it doesn’t.  But then again, why choose a name for your product that implies a double entendre?  A Dick Stick would certainly give a whole new meaning to the, ‘melts in your mouth, not in your hand,’ slogan.



Answer to Last Post:

Floccinaucinihilipilification - noun.  the act of describing something as having no value

The LONGEST Word in English

English Fun Facts:

People will debate this issue, but according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the longest word in the English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis .  It’s a 45-letter medical term referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust.  I know, I say this word all the time too.  

Perhaps medical terminology is not fair, and we shouldn't count that.  Then the longest word becomes floccinaucinihilipilification.  This everyday, 29-letter word means...GUESS!  I'll post the answer later this week.

What does FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION mean?

The process of cleaning the enamal between teeth.

The act of describing something as having no value.

The installation of the interior baseboard trim of a house..

Passing out unconscious in a public area due to a high level of inebriation.

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The process of cleaning the enamal between teeth.0%

The act of describing something as having no value.0%

The installation of the interior baseboard trim of a house..0%

Passing out unconscious in a public area due to a high level of inebriation.0%

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Regardless vs. Irregardless

Irregardless of the way these two words are spelled, regardless and irregardless have just about everything in common.  Both words are found in the dictionary, are typically used as adjectives, and have the same meaning - having or showing no regard.  Yet regardless of their similarities, the word irregardless originated as part of spoken American dialect in the 20th century (according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary).  This word - irregardless - has eked its way into English acceptability, regardless of the fact many still claim irregardless is not a word.  Regardless of the authenticity of irregardless, as a general rule of thumb, irregardless should not be used in written English.  You should use regardless instead, irregardless of the fact that I have just written irregardless numerous times.  Does that make sense?         

Fishing for an English Nuance

A couple of years ago, my grade 11 learners in Namibia were taking a practice exam in preparation for their upcoming national exam.  It's important to note that English is Namibia's national language, although out in the bush tribal languages are commonly spoken as the first language.  From grade 4 and upwards, all classes are taught in English.  Therefore, the kids spoke English competently - more or less - but they still needed a lot of help with reading, writing, and listening.  Anyway, back to the story. 

Part of the exam consists of listening comprehension.  They listen to the dialogue and are supposed to fill in the blanks accordingly.  On this exam the listening portion was about a boy getting ready to go fishing.  He talks about the different things he should bring with him.  One of the questions looked like:

We should take several items with us on our trip.  We need bring a __________, __________, and __________.
The first two were easy – fishing pole/food – and the learners didn’t have trouble.  The last one, however, caused some confusion.  In the last blank the learners overwhelmingly wrote – some protection. 

We need to bring a fishing pole, food, and some protection.

Photo provided by FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Of course this is open to interpretation, but when reading it naturally the first thing that popped into my mind was condoms.  Or perhaps a a firearm.  They were going to bring a fishing pole, food, and condoms.  Fair enough, there’s been a big push for the use of contraceptives amongst young adults in rural Namibia.  However, still wrong!

After marking the exam, I handed them back to the learners and together we went over the most common mistakes.  None of them could figure out what they did wrong with this question.  We listened to the tape over and over.  They were adamant that they were right.  However, the word that was throwing them off was ‘some.’  The correct answer was 'SUN protection.'

Now in Namibia they emulate British English, and since I’m American I told them I was unaware if this same expression applies in this context.  I told them that in regards to American English, depending on the context, 'some protection' could be interpreted as being condoms or even a gun.  Of course all people wouldn't interpret it this way.  I guess it depends on the generation you grew up in.  Or maybe I just had sex on my mind since I wasn't getting laid at the time.  Regardless, I told them that Americans would typically say 'sunblock' instead of 'sun protection.'  But that didn't really matter since some of the students were completely unfamiliar with the concept of sun protection.  They had never used the stuff.      
They all laughed when I told them that I thought they were talking about condoms.  The more creative learners played along and said they were in fact talking about condoms.  They told me I was hearing it wrong and the answer was 'some protection.'  They said that people always bring protection with them while fishing because Namibian fish carry STD’s.  They assured me, "You NEVER go fishing without a condom.  It's dangerous!"  It was funny attempt at trying to get me to mark the answer correct.  But still wrong!

So What the Hell is a Gerund???

I remember my very first day of teaching.  The lesson plan called for gerunds.  I had no idea what gerunds were, and even less of an idea of how to explain them.  Let's just say that first lesson went about as smooth as all those gerund pick-up lines you hear at the bar.  i.e. - Unsuccessful!

So for anyone that may be wondering, 'What the hell is a gerund?' allow me to explain.  A gerund is a noun that is derived from a verb which ends in –ing.  Here are some examples: 

1.    I like reading.   

2.    Reading is fun. 

In the first sentence, structured Subject–Verb–Object, reading is a noun that acts as the sentences direct object.  In the second sentence reading is again a noun, but this time acts as the subject in the Subject–Verb–Adjective arrangement.  Perhaps the only thing less exciting than teaching gerunds is sitting there having to learn them.  But don't listen to me, I have a personal bias against gerunds.  They've never lent me a helping hand.  You hear about all these other people getting lucky using gerunds.  I guess I'm still waiting patiently for that right gerund to come along. 

Which Gerund Is He Using?
Photo by: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gerund Pick-up Lines at the Bar (Good Luck!)

• Do you feel like going back to my place?
• I can't help falling in love with you! 
• Showing off is what God did when he made you.
• Smoking is hazardous to your health... and baby, you're killing me!
• Do you have a band-aid?  Because I just scraped my knee falling for you.
• You must like dancing with the devil, because you're hot as hell.
• Can I buy you a drink or do you just want the money? (No gerund, I just think that's funny.)

Pop Quiz!

How many gerunds can you find in this post?  I think I have the answer, but maybe I'm wrong.