VOLUME 20 ISSUE 3 An Integrated Curriculum of The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Language Reflects Changing Times ■ Post Reprint: “It’s okay to forget this lesson from English class” ■ Post PR Blog Reprint: “The Washington Post announces writing style changes for racial and ethnic identifiers” ■ Student Activity: Nuance and Labels Make a Difference ■ Post Column Reprint: “Stand athwart the exclamation point. And stop.” ■ Student Activity: Kathleen Parker’s Allusions, Examples and Usage ■ Teachers Notes: Rhetorical Perspectives November 12, 2020 NIE.WASHINGTONPOST.COM ©2020 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 20 ISSUE 3 An Integrated Curriculum of The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program INTRODUCTION Words Reflect Current Culture Taking time to study words and sentence structures of the past and current usage can be fascinating. Linguists study tweets, letters and official documents. They seek opportunities to observe and record the estimated 7,000 languages spoken around the globe. They research the early dictionaries and surviving works of the past as well as the current spoken word. Language expresses a culture in expression and word choice as well as the commonality of emotions and structure. It relates its biases and its outlook. It changes to communicate values it holds or rejects for new beliefs. Among the 150 new entries in the French Larousse is “ambassadrice,” for example. It is not a new word, but a change in definition from the wife of an ambassador to meaning a female ambassador. Clearly reflecting a shift in that country’s attitude toward women’s roles in leadership and employment. Media must discuss and form guidelines on how it can be most fair and balanced in its coverage. In 2020 different media leaders, including those of The Washington Post, held extensive meetings about capitalization of Black “to identify the many groups that make up the African diaspora in America and elsewhere.” Read the WashPost PR blog about the reasons behind this immediate Black and White style change. Read the articles we have included in this resource to stimulate discussion DURANTELALLERA / ADOBE STOCK and further exploration of the words that reflect current culture. IULIIA/ADOBESTOCK On the cover: VECTORMINE/ADOBESTOCK November 12, 2020 ©2020 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 20 ISSUE 3 An Integrated Curriculum of The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program It’s okay to forget this lesson from English class Monica Hesse • Originally Published September 23, 2019 absorb quickly by late toddlerhood. correspondence is littered with misuses othing brings me more Eventually, we just follow it because it of “your” vs. “you’re,” and modifiers existential pain than feels right. Eventually, much of life is dangling off cliffs. And yet they want to hearing from former learned through the osmosis of what tell me that using “they” for non-binary students of tyrannical feels right — patterns that become individuals somehow signifies the literal English teachers, the ingrained in our brains and hard to coming of the apocalypse. ones who seem to think that knowing change. For them, the grammar excuse seems Nhow to diagram a sentence is more The singular “they” has recently been to be a convenient fig leaf, and what it’s important than learning how to causing consternation. An increasing covering is these letter writers’ own communicate. number of individuals now publicly prejudice. The first skill is about following identify as non-binary, meaning that Others, however, seem to experience rules. The second is about being human. they don’t classify themselves as male genuine, acute pain at the concept of Here’s how you know if you’re a or female. The singer Sam Smith came betraying the lessons of Mrs. Pemberlay former student of a tyrannical English out earlier this year as non-binary; from Roosevelt Middle School. The pull teacher: You are the kind of person who “Billions” star Asia Kate Dillon also of long-ago English teachers is in cred- reads four paragraphs of an article before identifies that way. And the pronoun that ibly strong. And so is the pull of, “But stumbling upon a single misplaced these and many other non-binary folks this is how I learned it. But this is how I comma that makes you decide the entire prefer to use is “they.” thought the world worked. This is how I story is crud. You are someone who not When is Sam arriving? Oh, they’ll be thought things were organized, and now only knows but also abides by certain here at 8. things are changing.” rules: Paragraphs should contain at least Asia got a new dog, Lady Barkalot, Grammar isn’t much, but for some three sentences. Never begin a sentence and they are obsessed with her. of its disciples, at least it’s a way to with “But.” If the above sentences make you keep the world tidy. At least it’s a way But lately, some grammarians have hyperventilate — well, you aren’t entirely to understand the rules. If the news is a focused their fervor over one particular alone. I once had coffee with a mother mess, at least the commas can be right. bugaboo — the use, or alleged misuse, whose college-age child had recently This week, Merriam-Webster of the pronoun “they.” Their argument come out as non-binary. The mom’s first dictionary announced that it was goes that “they” and “their” are always concern, after her kid’s safety and how expanding the definition of “they” to plural and must never refer to a single to tell the grandparents, was that she’d specifically include usage for non- individual. never get the hang of “they.” It was just binary individuals. Editors released the Elizabeth is running = she is running. too weird-sounding. Surely, she told me, news with a link to the new acceptable Elizabeth and Bernie are running = her kid would forgive her for that. definition: “Used to refer to a single they are running. For a subset of the crowd bothered person whose gender identity is non- We know this less as an actual by the singular “they,” this isn’t really binary.” grammar rule than we do as a habit a grammatical issue. I know this In an accompanying article, the of natural speech, one that most of us because when they write me, their dictionary’s editors noted that the 3 November 12, 2020 ©2020 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 20 ISSUE 3 An Integrated Curriculum of The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program addition was not as “newfangled” as it uncomfortable on our universal, dictating the way things ought to be, or seemed: “We have evidence in our files bumbling quest toward compassion and “descriptive,” i.e. merely documenting of the non-binary ‘they’ dating back to humanity. the way things are. He cited Samuel 1950, and it’s likely that there are earlier No doubt, some of you would still Johnson’s 1755 dictionary, and a great uses of the non-binary pronoun ‘they’ prefer to hear this from an English Webster’s dictionary battle from 1961. out there.” teacher. He wrote about how language No doubt, this etymological So, I wrote to one: my dad. changes. How it’s always changed. How transition will still be difficult for some. He is — and he would never say we’ve always changed. How we always No doubt, newcomers to the term will this, but I will — not only an English will. occasionally mess up and feel silly and teacher, but a highly esteemed one. He He also wrote, “I think the official vulnerable. directs a university writing program. recognition of singular they is a terrific But I hope these folks can take comfort He is a former president of the National thing. It’s great news for non-binary in the idea that their vulnerability in Council of Teachers of English, a folks and, actually, everyone.” using unfamiliar terminology is nothing 25,000-member organization comprised Fellow lovers of language, and compared with the vulnerability of the of instructors from elementary school former English students, I hope that other person, the “they” in question who through college. helps. ■ is asking them to use it. And he writes grammar textbooks: After all, they’re essentially asking “The Simon and Schuster Handbook for how much you care about them. Do you Writers” by Lynn Troyka and Douglas care enough to learn something new? Hesse is used in classrooms all over the Do you care enough to allow life to feel country. Monica Hesse is a columnist for The a bit complicated? My dad emailed me with a long, Washington Post’s Style section, who We’re not really talking about thoughtful commentary. He outlined frequently writes about gender and its impact grammar. We’re talking about the the historical debate on whether on society. She’s the author of several novels, willingness for all of us to feel a little dictionaries should be “prescriptive,” i.e. most recently, “They Went Left.” After reading the column by Monica Hesse, respond to these questions. 1. What cultural shift is influencing the use of the third person plural pronoun? 2. What is the news peg for this column? Summarize the reasoning provided by its editors. 3. Hesse brings in another authority to comment on this shift in usage. A. Who is he? Why is he a particularly reliable source? B. What is his reaction to the shift and his explanation? 4. Hesse presents the point of view that this shift is more than a grammatical one. Explain. 5. Why is this a natural topic for Hesse to write about in her column? 4 November 12, 2020 ©2020 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 20 ISSUE 3 An Integrated Curriculum of The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program WashPost PR Blog The Washington Post announces writing style changes for racial and ethnic identifiers The Post to capitalize Black to identify groups that make up the African diaspora.