Linguists Voted Singular Pronoun 'They' As Word of the Decade

Linguists in the United States voted 'They' as the Word of the decade on January 4, 2020. This move is to recognize those who do not identify themselves in the binary gender.

The American Dialect Society that is formed more than130 years ago chose 'They' as the word of the decade. They chose the word along with the leading providers of dictionaries in the world, the Merriam and Webster. It can be recalled that Merriam and Webster announced that in December that the word 'They' is the word of the year. Meantime, the American Dialect Society chose "pronouns" as word of the year but they have highlighted 'They' as the word of the decade.

This is not the first time that the word was chosen as the word of the year. In fact, in 2015 it was named as the word of the decade. The selection of the word as Word of the Decade this time only means the recognition of those who do not identify themselves as he or she. This means that these refer to people who do not belong in the binary gender.

According to the MSN News, American Dialect Society New Words Committee chairman Ben Zimmer said "When a basic part of speech like pronouns becomes a vital indicator of social trends, linguists pay attention and the selection of '(my) pronouns' as word of the year speaks to how the personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse," Zimmer added "That trend is also reflected in singular 'they' being chosen as word of the decade, with a growing recognition of the use of 'they' for those whose identities don't conform to the binary of 'he' and 'she.'"

Meantime, Sam Smith posted on his twitter the decision of American Dialect Society the decision on the use of the gender-neutral pronoun. The singer identified himself as nonbinary.

The singer wrote in his personal Twitter account "Today is a good day so here goes. I've decided I am changing my pronouns to THEY/THEM after a lifetime of being at war with my gender I've decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out."

Members of the American Dialect Society are the linguists, historians, lexicographers, grammar experts, and other individuals who study the language.

In a published article in Jagran Josh, the following are nominated as:

Word of the decade nominees

• BlackLivesMatter- This word is largely used as a sign of protest of African-Americans.
• Climate- The word is included after this became part of the worldwide discussion.
• #MeToo- This phrase was widely used to speak out against sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Other "Word of the Year 2019" nominees

• OK Boomer- This word became viral most especially for millennials who retort the view of someone older than the Baby Boomer generation.
• Cancel- The word is nominated in a context where someone withdraws support from someone or something.
• Karen- This word refers to a white woman who always complains, is too arrogant, and demanding. These women typically belong in Generation X.