Definition and Examples of Singular They

Definition and Examples of Singular 'They' In  English grammar, singular they is the use of the pronoun they, them, or their to refer to a singular noun or to certain indefinite pronouns (such as anybody or everyone). Also called  epicene they and unisex they. Though strict prescriptive grammarians regard the singular they as a grammatical error, it has been in widespread use for several centuries. Singular they appears in the writings of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Austen, Woolf, and many other major English authors. In January 2016,  the American Dialect Society chose the gender-neutral singular they as its Word of the Year: They  was recognized by the society for its emerging use as a pronoun to refer to a known person, often as a conscious choice by a person rejecting the traditional gender binary of  he  and  she (American Dialect Society press release, January 8, 2016). Examples When a person talks too much, they learn little. (Duncan Hines, Lodging for a Night, 1938)If anybody wants their admission fee back, they can get it at the door. (Fiddlers Dram. Spooky South: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore, retold by S. E. Schlosser. Globe Pequot, 2004)She admired the fullness of the dirty net curtains, opened every drawer and cupboard, and, when she found the Gideons Bible, said, Somebodys left their book behind. (Sue Townsend, Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction. Lily Broadway Productions, 2004)She kept her head and kicked her shoes off, as everybody ought to do who falls into deep water in their clothes. (C.S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn-Treader, 1952)I know when I like a person directly I see them! (Virginia Woolf, The Voyage Out, 1915)A person cant help their birth, Rosalind replied with great liberality. (William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1848) Singular They and Agreement Examples of semantically singular they are given in [52]: [52i] Nobody in their right mind would do a thing like that. [52ii] Everyone has told me they think I made the right decision. [53iii] We need a manager who is reasonably flexible in their approach. [52iv] In that case the husband or the wife will have to give up their seat on the board. Notice that this special interpretation of they doesnt affect verb agreement: we have they think (3rd plural) in [ii], not *they thinks (3rd singular). Nonetheless, they can be interpreted as if it were 3rd person singular, with human denotation and unspecified gender. (Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Students Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge University Press, 2005) The Growing Acceptance of Singular They The general hesitancy of grammarians towards accepting singular they is not actually matched by many of their academic colleagues who have researched the usage and its distribution (e.g. Bodine 1075; Whitley 1978; Jochnowitz 1982; Abbot 1984; Wales 1984b). Nor indeed is it matched by the lay native speakers of standard English, who show an overwhelming preference for it in contemporary spoken English, non-formal written English and an ever-widening spread of non-formal written registers, from journalism to administration and academic writing. . . . Singular they, in fact, has been well established in informal usage for centuries; until prescriptive grammarians decreed it was grammatically incorrect, and so outlawed it, effectively, from (public) written discourse. The OED and Jespersen (1914) reveal, for example, that right from the time of the introduction of the indefinite pronouns into the language in their present form in the Late Middle English period, the option involving they has been in common use. (Katie Wales, Personal Pronouns in Present-Day English. Cambridge University Press, 1996) The Only Sensible Solution His or her is clumsy, especially upon repetition, and his is as inaccurate with respect to grammatical gender as they is to number. Invented alternatives never take hold. Singular they already exists; it has the advantage that most people already use it. If it is as old as Chaucer, whats new? The  Washington Post’s style editor, Bill Walsh, has called it the only sensible solution to the gap in English’s pronouns, changing his newspapers style book in 2015. But it was also the rise in the use of  they  as a pronoun for someone who does not want to use he or she. Facebook began already in 2014 allowing people to choose they as their preferred pronoun (Wish them a happy birthday!). Transgender stories, from The Danish Girl, a hit movie, to Caitlyn Jenner, an Olympic athlete who has become the world’s most famous trans woman, were big in 2015. But such people prefer their post-transition pronouns: he or she as desired. They is for a smaller minority who prefer neither. But the very idea of non-binary  language with regard to gender annoys and even angers many people. In other words, as transgender people gain acceptance, non-binary folks are the next frontier, like it or not. Who knew a thousand-year-old pronoun could be so controversial? (Prospero, Why 2015’s Word of the Year Is Rather Singular. The Economist, January 15, 2016) Origin of the Concept of the Gender-Neutral Masculine Pronoun [I]t was [Ann] Fisher [author of A New Grammar, 1745] who promoted the convention of using he, him and his as pronouns to cover both male and female in general statements such as Everyone has his quirks. To be precise, she says that The Masculine Person answers to the general Name, which comprehends both Male and Female; as, Any person who knows what he says. This idea caught on. . . The convention was bolstered by an Act of Parliament in 1850: in order to simplify the language used in other Acts, it was decreed that the masculine pronoun be understood to include both males and females. The obvious objection to thisobvious now, even if it was not obvious thenis that it makes women politically invisible. (Henry Hitchings, The Language Wars: A History of Proper English. Macmillan, 2011)

Grand Bargain - Details and Explanation

Grand Bargain - Details and Explanation The term grand bargain is used to describe a potential agreement between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders in late 2012 on how to curb spending and reduce the national debt while avoiding steep automatic spending cuts known as sequestration or the fiscal cliff set to take place the following year to some of the most important programs in the United States. The idea of a grand bargain had been around since 2011 but the real potential emerged following the 2012 presidential election, in which voters returned many of the same leaders to Washington, including Obama and some of his fiercest critics in Congress. The looming fiscal crisis combined with a polarized House and Senate provided high drama in the final weeks of 2012 as lawmakers worked to avoid the sequestration cuts. Details of the Grand Bargain The term grand bargain was used because it would be a bipartisan agreement between the Democratic president and Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, who had been gridlocked on policy proposals during his first term in the White House. Among the programs that could be targeted for substantial cuts in a grand bargain are the so-called entitlement programs: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Democrats who resisted such cuts would agree to them if Republicans, in return, sign off on higher taxes on certain high-income wage-earners much like the Buffett Rule would have imposed. History of the Grand Bargain The grand bargain on debt reduction first emerged during Obamas first term in the White House. But negotiations over the details of such a plan unraveled in the summer of 2011 and never began in earnest until after the 2012 presidential election. The disagreements in the first round of negotiations reportedly were the insistence by Obama and the Democrats on a certain level of new tax revenue. Republicans, particularly more conservative members of Congress, were said to have vigorously opposed raising taxes beyond a certain amount, reportedly some $800 million worth of new revenue. But following Obamas re-election, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio appeared to signal a willingness to accept higher taxes in return for cuts to entitlement programs. In order to garner Republican support for new revenues, the President must be willing to reduce spending and shore up the entitlement programs that are the primary drivers of our debt, Boehner told reporters following the election. We’re closer than anyone thinks to the critical mass needed legislatively to get tax reform done. Opposition to the Grand Bargain Many Democrats and liberals expressed skepticism over Boehners offer, and restated their opposition to cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. They argued that Obamas decisive victory allowed him a certain mandate on maintaining the nations social programs and safety nets. They also claimed the cuts in combination with the expiration of both the Bush-era tax cuts and payroll-tax cuts in 2013 could send the country back into a recession. The liberal economic Paul Krugman, writing in The New York Times, argued that Obama should not easily accept the Republican offer of a new grand bargain: President Obama has to make a decision, almost immediately, about how to deal with continuing Republican obstruction. How far should he go in accommodating the G.O.P.’s demands? My answer is, not far at all. Mr. Obama should hang tough, declaring himself willing, if necessary, to hold his ground even at the cost of letting his opponents inflict damage on a still-shaky economy. And this is definitely no time to negotiate a grand bargain on the budget that snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

Gender in TFA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gender in TFA - Research Paper Example His father’s lack of courage and financial insecurity stirs his obsession for masculinity and he is motivated to become a chivalrous warrior and a man of great wealth, who could provide everything his family needs. Thus, Okonkwo’s character thrives on the notion of filling a vacuum in the realms of masculinity that his father so cowardly left. On the other hand, he remains concerned about his son Nwoye of 12 years of age, whom he perceives as lazy. This causes the anguish in Okonkwo that his son will grow up to become an ‘efukfu’, a worthless loser like his father. Consequent to a settlement, Okonkwo acquires a virgin and a 15 year old boy named Ikemefuna as reward from another tribe and he envisions an ideal son in the latter. However, despite his love for Ikemefuna, he kills him just to save himself from appearing weak in front of others. Thus, through each thread in the fabric of TFA’s plot, Achebe emphasizes Okonkwo’s yearning for recognit ion as a manly hero in the patriarchal society that values masculinity as the most honored trait. Right from the beginning of the story, Achebe illustrates the significance of masculinity in the Umuofian society by referring to the fact that at the age of 18, Okonkwo has earned honor in the village by winning a wrestling contest with ‘Amalinze the Cat’ who has been the unbeaten champion for over seven years. Even while describing the fight, the author strives to accentuate the masculinity of both warriors by showing how every vein and â€Å"every muscle† on their arms, back and thighs stands out (Achebe Ch.1). Thus, the audience receives a clear idea of the pivotal role of masculinity in the Nigerian culture and how male characters in the story cherish the notion of manliness. On the other hand, Achebe also distinctly depicts the motivation of the male protagonist by orienting the readers about his father’s lack of masculinity by portraying Unoka,

Critical Pedagogy Perspective of Education Essay

Critical Pedagogy Perspective of Education - Essay Example â€Å"Habits of thought, reading, writing, and speaking which go beneath surface meaning, first impressions, dominant myths, official pronouncements, traditional cliches, received wisdom, and mere opinions, to understand the deep meaning, root causes, social context, ideology, and personal consequences of any action, event, object, process, organization, experience, text, subject matter, policy, mass media, or discourse"(Wink 2011, p. 128). This is an implication that in critical pedagogy approach of schooling the learner is not mandated to conform to the conventional schooling system. The paper access the appropriateness of critical pedagogy of schooling and its key elements. Paulo Freire was the first person to describe critical pedagogy approach of schooling. His initial interest was to address adult literacy, â€Å"†¦Paulo Freire, writing originally within the specific context of promoting adult literacy within Latin American peasant communities, but whose work has taken o n an increasingly international interest and appeal in the past three decades†(Macrine 2009, p. 67). ... (1984, 1988) critical pedagogy approach of schooling is concerned with the relationship that should exist between, school and the socio- political aspects of living. In his explanation, Stanley (1992) indicates that Freire’s critical pedagogy is based on critical consciousness. Stanley (1992, p. 56) continues to deduce that according to Freire, â€Å"Freedom, for Freire, begins with the recognition of a system of oppressive relations, and one’s own place in that system. The task of Critical Pedagogy is to bring members of an oppressed group to a critical consciousness of their situation as a beginning point of their liberatory praxis.† This is an implication that the learner should be the centre of schooling not schooling being the centre of learning. Purmensky (2009, p. 96) states that, â€Å"Freire goes further than arguing that educators must constantly discover and rediscover ways to help the learner view knowledge as problematic.† Arguably, an implica tion that teachers should employ a learning approach that enables the learner to learn and unlearn. The idea behind critical pedagogy approach of education is attributed to neo-Marxian literature concerning Critical Theory. Critical theorist argued that the Frankfurt school, whose founder was Marxism, had underrated the significant role played by media and cultural influences in addressing issues pertaining capitalism (Malott 2010; Sleeter 1995). critical pedagogy generally refers to the effort that is need to work in an educational institution as well in other aspects of life such as the media and have the audacity to question any form of power inequality that results to groups as well as individuals abandoning what is meaningful and will value to their lives. To install such crucial virtues, learners’ in school

Success From Creatine :: essays research papers

Success From Creatine   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people in athletics avoid using creatine monohydrate because they do not know much about it. They are convinced that something that can help athletes achieve such great results cannot be good for the body. This is not true if the supplement is taken correctly. Creatine is an excellent supplement. It is one of the only products on the market that has been proven to significantly enhance athletic performance in the areas of power, strength, and muscle mass. Creatine makes muscle cells retain water, then flushes out acid buildup when the muscles are used. This hydration process increases the amount of work individual cells can do and also aids in the recovery of muscle cells. Many people believe creatine supplements should be treated the same as steroids and banned from all sports. They assume creatine is not natural, harmful to the body and unfair in athletic competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often, it is said that creatine supplements are unnatural. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most people do not realize the human body produces creatine. It is an amino acid made in the liver and stored in muscles. It can also be obtained by certain foods in the diet. Milk, steak, and fish are the best sources of creatine. The daily recommended minimal dosage of this amino acid is about two grams. If dietary creatine is increased, it will augment the amount of stored creatine which will help athletic performance. Without the correct amount of any of the twenty amino acids, the body will not function to its fullest potential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although scientists have known of creatine for over one hundred years, studies on it have only been going on for the last decade. They have found it to be virtually harmless with very few drawbacks in their research. The most significant being abuse of the supplement. One example of this is to consume too much over a long period of time. Some researchers fear that this could make the body stop producing creatine, then the body would rely only on the supplement. This is why creatine supplements should be taken in cycles. Another form of abuse is to ingest too much at one time. It is hard for the body to breakdown the granular substance, but if plenty of water is consumed this should not be a problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people believe that creatine supplements give athletes an unfair advantage and compare them to steroids. These supplements are most definitely an advantage, but not unfair. Even though the supplement may have similar results to steroids, it is only an Success From Creatine :: essays research papers Success From Creatine   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people in athletics avoid using creatine monohydrate because they do not know much about it. They are convinced that something that can help athletes achieve such great results cannot be good for the body. This is not true if the supplement is taken correctly. Creatine is an excellent supplement. It is one of the only products on the market that has been proven to significantly enhance athletic performance in the areas of power, strength, and muscle mass. Creatine makes muscle cells retain water, then flushes out acid buildup when the muscles are used. This hydration process increases the amount of work individual cells can do and also aids in the recovery of muscle cells. Many people believe creatine supplements should be treated the same as steroids and banned from all sports. They assume creatine is not natural, harmful to the body and unfair in athletic competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often, it is said that creatine supplements are unnatural. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most people do not realize the human body produces creatine. It is an amino acid made in the liver and stored in muscles. It can also be obtained by certain foods in the diet. Milk, steak, and fish are the best sources of creatine. The daily recommended minimal dosage of this amino acid is about two grams. If dietary creatine is increased, it will augment the amount of stored creatine which will help athletic performance. Without the correct amount of any of the twenty amino acids, the body will not function to its fullest potential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although scientists have known of creatine for over one hundred years, studies on it have only been going on for the last decade. They have found it to be virtually harmless with very few drawbacks in their research. The most significant being abuse of the supplement. One example of this is to consume too much over a long period of time. Some researchers fear that this could make the body stop producing creatine, then the body would rely only on the supplement. This is why creatine supplements should be taken in cycles. Another form of abuse is to ingest too much at one time. It is hard for the body to breakdown the granular substance, but if plenty of water is consumed this should not be a problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people believe that creatine supplements give athletes an unfair advantage and compare them to steroids. These supplements are most definitely an advantage, but not unfair. Even though the supplement may have similar results to steroids, it is only an

Psychological study: “Geenie the Wild Child!” Essay

The development of language comes naturally for most people; as they grow from an infant to a child. Noam Chomsky believes that languages are genetically pre-programmed by a language acquisition device in the brain. The deep structure of language and words is not learned. Yet the surface structures, such as phonetic sounds are learned. A few children do not master the basic foundation of language like in Genie’s case. Genie (and her mom) was victims of abuse and neglect inflicted upon them by Genie’s father. In November, 1970, Genie’s [a.k.a. â€Å"The Wild Child†] horrible plight was documented and this is my personal assessment of it†¦ I would think that Genie can one day master English (or another language) because of one specific reason: Genie’s brain, as slow and below average for a 13 year old as it was, did show some progression. Genie did have a 20-word vocabulary. She could correctly identify colors, she knew her mom and could say things like, â€Å"walk, door and No more.† However, this was not the case. After over 6 years of being observed, poked and researched by scientist, Genie never did master the English language. Also, Genie had a most bizarre and unfortunate life starting at the very moment she was born. In the beginning she was constrained and not given any attention. When she was discovered by the world, she was bombarded with attention from many researchers. From the multitude of research done on her, one bit of information that held true to Lenneberg’s theory is the inability to produce speech after puberty even when exposed to it. However, in the end the researchers became insensitive and overlooked Genie’s own well-being for scientific research.

Questions On Business Ethics And Ethics - 2226 Words

Introduction to Business Ethics What Is Ethics? To understand business ethics one must first understand that there is no general definition used to define this ethics related topic. Ethics related topics usually include terms such as morals, principles, ethics and values, which are, in most cases, used interchangeably. However, Asgary and Mitschow (2002) defines ethics as the study of appropriate policies and practices regarding possible controversial issues while offering recommendations for what is right and what is wrong. Ethics can be defined in two different ways. Firstly, ethics can refer to substantiated principles of right and wrong that suggest what persons ought to do, typically in terms of rights, specific virtues,†¦show more content†¦Therefore, it is incumbent upon individuals to constantly examine their own standards to ensure that they are rational and apt. Ethics also means, then, that there is a continuous effort of studying as it relates to our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct, and that in striving to ensure that we, live up to principles that are sound. The standards of ethical and moral behavior come from the understanding that we are unique beings. These standards are the innate means of justifying the decisions and actions that are believed to be right, fair, proper, wrong, unfair and improper. We are all unique individuals who depend on others for much of our human experience, particularly our social communications with others. When the guidelines for moral behavior are determined by our societal structure, then some of the social and ethical dilemmas will be handled differently and will be better equipped and mindful in our understanding of how to deal with those that behave immorally or unethically especially in a business environment. Business Ethics Discussed In today’s business world, law often governs business ethics while in some instances business ethics provide a basic foundation that businesses should follow in order to gain public acceptance. Business ethics and business morality as a whole generally result from a person’s own moral principles in the context of the political and cultural environment in which the organization is