Let's Talk about Pronouns; Why He/She/They/It Matters, Part 1

What Is a PronounIn the English language it39s the word we use to substitute someone39s name For example it would sound weird to you if I said quotI saw John yesterday and John was wearing a blue shirt I asked John where John got the shirt and John told me it was a gift from John39s motherquot If you were to edit this or if you were teaching me to speak English you would likely correct it to read quotI saw John yesterday and he was wearing a blue shirt I asked him where he got the shirt and he told me it was a gift from his motherquot It just sounds better right Well what you did there in editing this was to substitute pronouns for his name You identified that John is a male person and you used male pronounsNames and PronounsNo one likes it when they get called by the wrong name and sometimes it39s tough to correct the person without feeling uncomfortable or without risking making the speaker feel uncomfortable In settings where there may be a lot of people like at a national conference or networking event we typically use name tags This not only allows us to know someone39s formal last name it allows us to know whether someone legally named Paul actually goes by his middle name George so that we call him by the name he uses It39s how we know whether Elizabeth goes by Elizabeth or Eliza or Liz or Libby or Beth But you already know all of this and use this in your life rightWhat about pronouns Just like having a name we all have pronouns you do I do my pup does your childhood best friend does the stranger over there does Just like having a name it is important to get someone39s pronouns rightFor a very long time pronouns were assumed based on someone39s name or on their appearance Someone named George we assume uses hehimhis pronouns Someone named Elizabeth or Liz or Beth we assume uses sheherhers pronouns Someone with a mustache we assume uses hehimhis pronouns and someone in a dress we assume uses sheherhers pronouns But what if we39re wrong in our assumptionAn Inamp160Real Life ExampleRecently we39ve seen Broadway actor Billy Porter and pop star Harry Styles wear dresses on magazine covers If we assumed that dress female sheherhers pronouns we39d be wrong For decades we39ve seen female celebrities wear suits on red carpets If we assume suit male hehimhis pronouns we39d be wrong Where else do we use clues for pronouns that might be incorrect How about babies Often we assume that the adorable squish in a parent39s arms or in a grandparent39s photo is a quotshequot or a quothequot based on their outfit We say that the bow she is wearing is cute and that he looks adorable in his dinosaur pajamasWhy Does It MatterWell that39s a bigger conversation and we have plenty of room to get into that next time but first let39s focus on where we do see pronouns being usedamp160By identifying how often we use pronouns we can start to look at whether this is common enough that it39s even worth our time examining how we use them If for example pronouns are used in your life once every three weeks maybe it isn39t worth your brain bandwidth to think about pronouns because you are of course very busy However if you discover that pronouns are used in your life 10000 times each day well then it might become worth your time to learn more about making sure you39re not making a mistake 10000 times each dayTake ActionYour action task is to keep an eye out for pronouns You don39t have to do or say anything when you see them Your task is just to make a mental note when you do see them and to be intentional in noticing them more oftenHint Check out profiles of those you engage with on social media peek at the signature line in people39s emails be mindful when you read something of where the writer uses the person39s name and where pronouns are used instead Also keep an ear out for pronouns in spoken words Try to notice how often or how rarely you use the words he him his she heramp160and hers Listen for it when others speak with youIn SolidarityClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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Let's Talk about Pronouns; Why He/She/They/It Matters, Part 1

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Kryss Shane

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Let's Talk about Pronouns; Why He/She/They/It Matters, Part 1

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