“They”可以当单数用???莫非这么多年学的都是“假英语”……小编并未耸人听闻,“They”的单数用法是经《韦氏词典》(Merriam-Webster)“认证”的!
9月17日,《韦氏词典》宣布新增533个单词,涉及政治、经济、体育、文化等多个领域,还包含部分网络流行词,如:“Vacay”(“Vacation”的缩写)“Fabulosity”(“Fabulous”和“Quality”的混合词)“Escape room”(密室逃脱)“Free solo”(徒手攀岩),“Stinger”(彩蛋)“Dad jokes”(“老爸笑话”,指老套过时或易尴尬冷场的笑话)......一众新词中,一个“老词”显得格外引人注目。在新收录的“种族和身份”(New Words About Race and Identity)一类单词中,出现了“They”。消息发出后引发网友热议。
《韦氏词典》对于“They”的新增释义如下:-used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary.“指代性别认同非二元的单数人称。”*《韦氏词典》“They”新增释义例句:"I knew certain things about…the person I was interviewing...They had adopted their gender-neutral name a few years ago, when they began to consciously identify as nonbinary — that is, neither male nor female. They were in their late 20s, working as an event planner, applying to graduate school."如此看来,此处“They”似乎有些类似我们在非正式语境中使用的“Ta”,即对于不明性别或其个人性别认同非男性或女性人士的代称。
*注!不过,“They”虽然可做单数使用,“They is...”的用法在考试中依然是要被扣分的!由例句看来,“They”不论做单数或复数人称代词使用,与其搭配的谓语或者系动词都是不变的。Merriam-Webster, a renowned American online dictionary, announced on Tuesday that it has added "they" as a non-binary pronoun to its dictionary, together with over 530 other new words.
The new entry, which refers to a single person who does not identify as male or female, is listed to "address the complex ways we view ourselves and others and how we all fit in," said the publisher.
“They”做单数,是单数人称代词不够用吗?对于包含“They”在内的部分“种族与身份”一类新增单词和释义,《韦氏词典》解释说这些词与“自我认同”相关:"Several new entries are for words that address the complex ways we view ourselves and others and how we all fit in."“这些新词诠释了我们看待自己和他人的复杂方式,以及我们自己如何适应其中”。此前,“They”也有单数用法,指代上文中提到的不确定第三人称单数: 而“They”的新用法是针对一个性别已知、但并不认同自己是男性或女性的人,因为总有人不接受既定的性别表达。“They”的单数用法由来已久《韦氏词典》在一篇名为《Singular 'They'》的文章中提到,“They”做单数的用法由来已久,最早可追溯到十四世纪。《牛津词典》(Oxford English Dictionary)研究显示,1375年,在中世纪文学作品《William and the Werewolf》中就曾出现“They”的单数用法:“Each man hurried . . . till they drew near . . . where William and his darling were lying together.”The use of "they" as a singular pronoun can be traced back to 1375 when the word appeared in the medieval romance "William and the Werewolf" as a singular form referring to the antecedent "each man," according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It was also found to be referring to a singular term in a letter written by Emily Dickinson in 1881.十七世纪,英国继承法中有时用“It”指代不适用于二元性别的人。
《韦氏词典》指出,人们认为这一将人“物化”(dehumanizing)的表达已经是当时涉及性别指称最准确的表述。1881年,英国小说家艾米莉·狄金森(Emily Dickinson)也曾在一封信中用到了单数的“They”:"Almost anyone under the circumstances would have doubted if [the letter] were theirs, or indeed if they were themself."单数“They”的出现,就像单数的“You”从复数的“You”发展而来的过程,只是我们已经习惯了用“You are XX”来形容单数的“你”了。
“They”的新增单数用法背后有何“玄机”?其实,“They”做单数的用法并非仅仅出现于文学作品、法律文件或日常对话中。近年来,随着社会对于LGBTQ人群接受度的提高,很多媒体呼吁将“They”赋予同“He”和“She”一样的第三人称含义,并开始在报道中使用这一用法。2017年3月,美联社(Associated Press)首次将“They”做单数或指代“中性”人称(gender-neutral pronoun)的用法纳入写作规范(AP Stylebook)。
写作规范主编Paula Froke表示,此举是为确认“They”在口语中的单数用法并顾及性别认同非二元人群的需要:"…we offer new advice for two reasons: recognition that the spoken language uses they as singular and we also recognize the need for a pronoun for people who don’t identify as a he or a she."除美联社外,目前《芝加哥格式手册》(Chicago Manual of Style,适用于美国英语的格式指南)、美国现代语言学会出版的MLA格式手册(MLA style manual)以及美国心理学会出版手册(APA style manual)都已经纳入“They”的单数用法。
*Grammarly例句:"They are a talented artist. I really enjoyed their painting of a flower in art class yesterday."In March 2014, the use of singular "they" was for the first time allowed in the Associated Press Stylebook.《纽约时报》(The New York Times)曾于7月发表评论文章《It's Time for 'They'》。文章指出,“They”做单数使用时适用范围广且灵活(inclusive and flexible),还可以打破性别局限(breaks the stifling prison of gender expectations)。
8月,《卫报》在一篇名为《He, she, or...? Gender-neutral pronouns reduce biases – study》的文章中表示,包含“They”在内的中性代词有助于减少性别刻板印象,从而对女性及LGBT人群产生积极影响(reduces mental biases that favor men, and boosts positive feelings towards women and LGBT people)。除“They”以外,英语中还曾出现其他中性第三人称,如:1860及70年代美国作家使用的“ze”和“zir”;2016年,《韦氏词典》新增“Mx.”一词作为与“Mr.”和“Ms”并列的中性尊称。
翰林课程体验,退费流程快速投诉邮箱: yuxi@linstitute.net 沪ICP备2023009024号-1