[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/they-is-2019s-word-of-the-year\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/they-is-2019s-word-of-the-year\/","headline":"They is 2019’s word of the year","name":"They is 2019’s word of the year","description":"Merriam-Webster announced that it has chosen \u201cthey\u201d as the 2019 word of the year.","datePublished":"2019-12-10","dateModified":"2019-12-10","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/kpalladino\/#Person","name":"Kirsten Palladino","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/kpalladino\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/76421eab241dc39d43a493849d7bc676e4b1c60c6b1167f727466599b6882eca?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/76421eab241dc39d43a493849d7bc676e4b1c60c6b1167f727466599b6882eca?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/They.png","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/They.png","height":1800,"width":3000},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/they-is-2019s-word-of-the-year\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":320,"keywords":["nonbinary","they"],"articleBody":"Merriam-Webster announced Tuesday that it has chosen \u201cthey\u201d as the 2019 word of the year.The singular \u201cthey\u201d is a pronoun used to refer to a person whose gender identity is nonbinary, a word that itself was added to the Merriam-Webster.com dictionary in September of this year. The gender-neutral pronoun is used in place of \u201che or she.”Last month, Equally Wed’s Dyana Bagby reported that the American Psychological Association says using \u201cthey\u201d as a singular third-person pronoun is now official APA Style, receiving praise from supporters and members of the LGBTQ+ and nonbinary communities who say the move is another step toward inclusivity for all people.Equally Wed: The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your LGBTQ+ Wedding uses \u201cthey\u201d as a singular pronoun, which covers men, women, gender fluid, transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming individuals. The usage of \u201cthey\u201d instead of \u201che or she\u201d has been used in news outlets such as Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, but it\u2019s not a modern occurrence by any means. \u201cThey\u201d as a singular pronoun has been used for a least seven centuries, appearing in the work of writers from Chaucer to Shakespeare to Jane Austen.As Merriam-Webster writes, \u201cEnglish famously lacks a gender-neutral singular pronoun to correspond neatly with singular pronouns like everyone or someone, and as a consequence they has been used for this purpose for over 600 years.\u201dDespite the word\u2019s long history, searches for \u201cthey\u201d increased by 313% in 2019 compared to the previous year, according to Merriam-Webster.When reading Merriam-Webster’s recap of its choice, please refrain from adopting its incorrect use of the phrase “preferred pronoun.” Pronouns aren’t preferred. They are true descriptors of the gender\u2014or absence of\u2014that the person identifies with. Using the adjective “preferred” implies that gender is a choice. And it isn’t. Living your authentic truth is a choice though, and we applaud anyone brave enough to do so. "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"They is 2019’s word of the year","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/they-is-2019s-word-of-the-year\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]