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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 1st, 2023

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  • Yeah, those examples are precisely what I mean. The article you linked to explains exactly what I mean, even stating that Shakespeare wouldn’t have used “they” if he knew the gender of the person he referred to.

    The referents in these cases are general, not specific people. “Not a man” - no one, not referring to a specific person. “Some more audience than a mother” - someone else than a mother, not a specific person. “Each one” - not a specific person but every person.

    If you look at dictionary definitions over the centuries, you’ll find singular they mentioned, but always specifically for this general meaning.

    As an added note I don’t think it makes a difference if the current use is new or not, and it shouldn’t matter in this debate. Language changes all the time, even if people resist it.







  • It’s a local program (I live in the Netherlands) for people with autism or similar issues. They teach you html and java and some other stuff I don’t remember. Eventually they help you to work on projects they do for other businesses and even find a job with a “regular” company, but only if you’re ready for that and able to do it. It’s government funded and aside from the IT professionals, they also have healthcare professionals who help you with any issues you encounter in the work environment. After having been unemployed for years due to mental health issues, it’s a very exciting opportunity for me. I’ve already visited the company and the people and work environment there seem really suitable.


    • I started using Lemmy
    • Got back on Mastodon when it got rolling a bit more. I follow more accounts now and it’s actually fun.
    • Got back on linux after a 5 year hiatus. I should have done it a whole lot sooner, I enjoy using my computer more.
    • Needed a laptop and instead of buying a new one, I got a secondhand laptop from a local system administrator who put linux on it. Debian is great and I love the old Thinkpad.
    • I’ve applied to a learn/work program in web development. I haven’t started yet, but I will soon. I’m so excited for that.