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Trans Organizing 101

What is "prescriptivism"?

Prescriptive Grammar

  • Prescriptivism: “the widespread belief that there is one and only one correct way of using the language”
  • “The recommendation that one variant should be used rather than another is generally motivated not by logic, but by various social considerations: the preferred variant is usually that favored by influential persons and groups.”
  • “the linguistic value judgments characteristic of contemporary prescriptivism are, in effect, social comments on speakers, rather than valid metalinguistic statements.”

Pronouns are constantly evolving in political ways

Old English (1,000 years ago) 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
Singular I, me, mine thou, thee, thine he/his, she/her/hers, it/its
Plural we, our, ours you, your, yours they, their, theirs
Middle English (500 years ago) 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
Singular I, me, mine

you, your, yours

thou, thee, thine

 he/his, she/her/hers, it/its, they/their/theirs
Plural we, our, ours you, your, yours

they, their, theirs
18th-19th century 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
Singular I, me, mine

you, your, yours

 he/his, she/her/hers, it/its
Plural we, our, ours you, your, yours

they, their, theirs
20th century-today 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
Singular I, me, mine

you, your, yours

 he/his, she/her/hers, it/its
Plural we, our, ours

guys, you guys, your guys’, you guys’;

y’all, all y’all, etc.

they, their, theirs
Sources

Gender and Sexuality Center

See the UIC Gender and Sexuality Center Trans Resource Guide for support of trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary folx navigating the University of Illinois Chicago campus and surrounding Chicago area.