Editing 145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics
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For those who haven't read it, this is a [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1387 typical strip], and [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2079 here's] a strip dealing with the same subject as this comic (but posted five years after it). See also [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 this particular example], where the title text actually refer to Randall and xkcd. | For those who haven't read it, this is a [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1387 typical strip], and [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2079 here's] a strip dealing with the same subject as this comic (but posted five years after it). See also [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 this particular example], where the title text actually refer to Randall and xkcd. | ||
| − | Randall makes several shots at recurring themes in Dinosaur Comics. T-Rex, the green {{w|Tyrannosaurus}}, is bold and enthusiastic, discussing various topics, a favorite of which appears to be linguistics (North got his degree in computational linguistics). This time, he is talking about "{{w|Singular_they|they}}" being used as a {{w|Grammatical_person|third person}} {{w|Grammatical number|singular}} {{w|Gender-specific_and_gender-neutral_pronouns|gender-free pronoun}} and how it should be more widely used, even though its acceptance varies. {{w|Dromiceiomimus}}, the white dinosaur in the third panel, usually responds calmly to T-Rex's discussions. T-Rex then elaborates on how singular "they" has been used for centuries (specifically since the fourteenth century), with the change in convention being relatively recent (having fallen out of "fashion" in the nineteenth century). Technically, the English language lacks {{w|Personal pronoun|personal pronouns}} that are {{w|Epicenity|gender-neutral}} in the singular third-person — that is, there are only gender-specific personal pronouns such as "{{w|He (pronoun)|he}}" and "{{w|She (pronoun)|she}}" — so when a gender-neutral pronoun is needed, {{w|Plural|plural}} pronouns such as "{{w|They|they}}" (which ''are'' gender-neutral) are often used instead. There is some debate about whether this is a grammatical error, which may result in the use of grammatically correct, but cumbersome, gender-neutral phrases such as "he or she" | + | Randall makes several shots at recurring themes in Dinosaur Comics. T-Rex, the green {{w|Tyrannosaurus}}, is bold and enthusiastic, discussing various topics, a favorite of which appears to be linguistics (North got his degree in computational linguistics). This time, he is talking about "{{w|Singular_they|they}}" being used as a {{w|Grammatical_person|third person}} {{w|Grammatical number|singular}} {{w|Gender-specific_and_gender-neutral_pronouns|gender-free pronoun}} and how it should be more widely used, even though its acceptance varies. {{w|Dromiceiomimus}}, the white dinosaur in the third panel, usually responds calmly to T-Rex's discussions. T-Rex then elaborates on how singular "they" has been used for centuries (specifically since the fourteenth century), with the change in convention being relatively recent (having fallen out of "fashion" in the nineteenth century). Technically, the English language lacks {{w|Personal pronoun|personal pronouns}} that are {{w|Epicenity|gender-neutral}} in the singular third-person — that is, there are only gender-specific personal pronouns such as "{{w|He (pronoun)|he}}" and "{{w|She (pronoun)|she}}" — so when a gender-neutral pronoun is needed, {{w|Plural|plural}} pronouns such as "{{w|They|they}}" (which ''are'' gender-neutral) are often used instead. There is some debate about whether this is a grammatical error, which may result in the use of grammatically correct, but cumbersome, gender-neutral phrases such as "he or she," "him or her," "his or hers," and so on. To compensate for these shortcomings, other gender-neutral personal pronouns for the singular third-person have also been introduced, such as "he/she," "s/he," and "xe" instead of "he or she" or "hirs" instead of "his or hers." T-Rex considers these constructs to be "ridiculous" and points out that they can be avoided by simply using the singular "they" instead. |
While "he/she" and "s/he" are commonly used as a gender-neutral pronoun when gender is unknown, "xe" and "hirs" are often used for {{w|genderqueer}} individuals. Genderqueer persons do not subscribe to a "binary" definition of gender, where the only genders are male and female, and may identify as having, just to name a few examples, a gender between male and female, a combination of both male and female genders, no gender (terms for this include "genderless", "agender," and "neutrois"), a {{w|Third Gender|separate gender}} from male and female, an unnameable gender, or a "fluid" gender identity that shifts between multiple genders ("genderfluidity"). | While "he/she" and "s/he" are commonly used as a gender-neutral pronoun when gender is unknown, "xe" and "hirs" are often used for {{w|genderqueer}} individuals. Genderqueer persons do not subscribe to a "binary" definition of gender, where the only genders are male and female, and may identify as having, just to name a few examples, a gender between male and female, a combination of both male and female genders, no gender (terms for this include "genderless", "agender," and "neutrois"), a {{w|Third Gender|separate gender}} from male and female, an unnameable gender, or a "fluid" gender identity that shifts between multiple genders ("genderfluidity"). | ||
