From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on dcvr.yhbt.net X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-ASN: AS53758 23.128.96.0/24 X-Spam-Status: No, score=-11.1 required=3.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00,DKIMWL_WL_MED, DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID,DKIM_VALID_AU,HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_LOW,SPF_HELO_PASS,SPF_PASS, USER_IN_DEF_DKIM_WL shortcircuit=no autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [23.128.96.18]) by dcvr.yhbt.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8A2071F5AE for ; Tue, 8 Jun 2021 17:41:22 +0000 (UTC) Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S233425AbhFHRml (ORCPT ); Tue, 8 Jun 2021 13:42:41 -0400 Received: from mail-pf1-f178.google.com ([209.85.210.178]:36599 "EHLO mail-pf1-f178.google.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S233081AbhFHRmk (ORCPT ); Tue, 8 Jun 2021 13:42:40 -0400 Received: by mail-pf1-f178.google.com with SMTP id c12so16301743pfl.3 for ; Tue, 08 Jun 2021 10:40:47 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=google.com; s=20161025; h=date:from:to:cc:subject:message-id:references:mime-version :content-disposition:in-reply-to; bh=ASoBwAxLtEfMXtVdCZ8R/jXDSzr8wPFXGWhHL0RDu0E=; b=slTC8oQFbkl0U718yX1tSWtm6Uz+CCky+K8AKWC+c3i9DyVHaSrZZxF0MLDKywIqKU QlVHk2SkJy3UaxteMqva6RECGir38nN5mAFmXDvnJsiDxbVI/die3lnvLsdt5u7H6cd+ 7159DsZcX2wpriTCEfIHzdswbKqNfiXt7Q3JHzSqckmDgIfqis/HfpBkCzRLEvXkJh3g uynmZ7t5+0wTSlQP+gNvgesVIPX+q8lSCxxNvKZoBNLsJpzuYEazYtC+gHA0aDsEj0EW R4htZqeo5TSqJ0ql8qLp/vntjMy7OuoiHEnQ6SuY03OIn9PRvHzrWgrl02Dg04X0yNnt uCRA== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20161025; h=x-gm-message-state:date:from:to:cc:subject:message-id:references :mime-version:content-disposition:in-reply-to; bh=ASoBwAxLtEfMXtVdCZ8R/jXDSzr8wPFXGWhHL0RDu0E=; b=XnbPqImqxIGQkcbVhUqxxxVDiF9hrCX6ziGmMGfswDA3sFuw/ls9pE4pVDNjMEPAxz 3q4ZXdf0PHRWCIWCVtnGrn0utN03LpcSQ2x70Xe+AX64Jw6MdXmga/ZEPVDdJA0hdt/t 8FSVB3mjwK1x0SNojYqfnqVOednIusp+NFFl57Zo86AKPDmsnbxxZY5d3r3szArPLhk/ s/F9WfyUOb47gEVaeYq26U4rgDxg2haeW12YsfsN+znVjYTM8z2S3aKPLWEfV3vcfphF XRXrB1TRpYgPDQpu+OCY+PE/xVWWdw8oUSmVqoyIzfOIJAKaKrw3jj/rXwiHB55fxl9Z imtw== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM530A8JIQHQpfV4ISf2hjc7ReWUZF4t1PWvlSemieVYG3KVGwmeYT H2JGonjv5ziX14DETPlCNHxbHA== X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJys9EDhkrv1XhAfmpCn446zSdIQuP60RyKXvJkp7Cexiz2O6lQsO5LYJklMQV4UlewntS1f2Q== X-Received: by 2002:a65:6256:: with SMTP id q22mr23935395pgv.391.1623173987499; Tue, 08 Jun 2021 10:39:47 -0700 (PDT) Received: from google.com ([2620:15c:2ce:0:f819:e238:f61a:a961]) by smtp.gmail.com with ESMTPSA id w125sm11025743pfw.214.2021.06.08.10.39.46 (version=TLS1_3 cipher=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 bits=256/256); Tue, 08 Jun 2021 10:39:46 -0700 (PDT) Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2021 10:39:42 -0700 From: Emily Shaffer To: Derrick Stolee via GitGitGadget Cc: git@vger.kernel.org, gitster@pobox.com, sandals@crustytoothpaste.net, stolee@gmail.com, jrnieder@gmail.com, Derrick Stolee , Derrick Stolee Subject: Re: [PATCH 4/4] CodingGuidelines: recommend singular they Message-ID: References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org On Mon, Jun 07, 2021 at 04:57:48PM +0000, Derrick Stolee via GitGitGadget wrote: > > > Technical writing seeks to convey information with minimal friction. One > way that a reader can experience friction is if they encounter a > description of "a user" that is later simplified using a gendered > pronoun. If the reader does not consider that pronoun to apply to them, > then they can experience cognitive dissonance that removes focus from > the information. > > If we use singular "they/them" pronouns instead of "he/him" or "she/her" > pronouns, then we can avoid this congitive load on the reader. > > Using singular "they" is also incredibly efficient. Choosing a gendered > pronoun is usually arbitrary between "he" or "she". Using constructs > such as "he or she", "s/he", or "(s)he" are more complicated than > singular "they". > > When choosing a gendered pronoun, that pronoun no longer applies to > nearly half of possible readers. Even if we alternated between "he/him" > and "she/her" perfectly evenly, we would still expect male and female > readers to experience an incorrect pronoun half the time. However, some > readers will not prescribe to either of these binary genders. Those > readers hence suffer an incorrect pronoun the entire time. Singular > "they" applies to every reader. > > Perhaps due to similar reasons, official style guides have changed their > stance on singuler "they" in recent years. For example, the APA style > guide changed their official recommendation in 2019 [1]. The MLA > handbook also references helpful ways to use singular "they" [2]. While > not fully endorsing it, the Chicago Manual of Style has removed its > blanket ban on singular "they" [3] (the previous recommendation was to > only use "it" as a singular non-gendered pronoun). > > [1] https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/singular-they > [2] https://style.mla.org/using-singular-they/ > [3] https://libraries.indiana.edu/chicago-manual-style-singular-pronoun-they > > While not all styleguides are updating their recommendations, we can > make a choice as a project to adopt the concept because of the > efficiencies above, as well as the benefits of increased inclusion. > > To futher justify singular "they" as an acceptable grammatical concept, > I include the careful research of brian m. carlson who collected their > thoughts on this matter [2] (lightly edited): > > Singular "they" has been used by native English speakers as part of > the language for over half a millennium and is widely used and > understood. This usage is specified in Merriam Webster[3]: > > The use of they, their, them, and themselves as pronouns of > indefinite gender and indefinite number is well established in > speech and writing, even in literary and formal contexts. > > Wiktionary notes[4] (references omitted): > > Usage of they as a singular pronoun began in the 1300s and has been > common ever since, despite attempts by some grammarians, beginning > in 1795, to condemn it as a violation of traditional (Latinate) > agreement rules. Some other grammarians have countered that criticism > since at least 1896. Fowler's Modern English Usage (third edition) > notes that it "is being left unaltered by copy editors" and is "not > widely felt to lie in a prohibited zone." Some authors compare use of > singular they to widespread use of singular you instead of thou. > > Linguists fit roughly into two camps: prescriptive and descriptive. > The former specify rules for people to use, and the latter document > language as it is actually used without forming a judgment. > > Some prescriptivists think it is acceptable, and some do not. But > descriptivists will rightly note that it is and has been commonly > used in English across countries, cultures, and contexts for an > extended period of time and is therefore generally accepted by most > English speakers as a normal part of the language. Since we are > writing text for an English language audience who are mostly not > linguists, we should probably consider using the language that most > people will use in this context. > > [2] https://lore.kernel.org/git/YKrk4dEjEm6+48ji@camp.crustytoothpaste.net/ > [3] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/they > [4] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/they > > If we refer to a specific person, then using a gendered pronoun is > appropriate. Examples within the Git codebase include: > > * References to real people (e.g. Linus Torvalds, "the Git maintainer"). > Do not misgender real people. If there is any doubt to the gender of a > person, then use singular "they". > > * References to fictional people with clear genders (e.g. Alice and > Bob). > > * Sample text used in test cases (e.g t3702, t6432). > > * The official text of the GPL license contains uses of "he or she", but > modifying the license this way is not within the scope of the Git > project. > > Other cases within the Git project were cleaned up by the previous > changes. > > Signed-off-by: Derrick Stolee Well said. Acked-by: Emily Shaffer > --- > Documentation/CodingGuidelines | 5 +++++ > 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+) > > diff --git a/Documentation/CodingGuidelines b/Documentation/CodingGuidelines > index e3af089ecf26..78cd399f7cf5 100644 > --- a/Documentation/CodingGuidelines > +++ b/Documentation/CodingGuidelines > @@ -648,3 +648,8 @@ Writing Documentation: > inline substituted text+ instead of `monospaced literal text`, and with > the former, the part that should not get substituted must be > quoted/escaped. > + > + When referring to an anonymous user, use singular "they/them" pronouns > + as opposed to choosing between "he/him" and "she/her". Do not use more > + complicated constructs such as "he or she" or "s/he". This recommendation > + also applies to code comments and commit messages. > -- > gitgitgadget