韦氏词典公布2019年度词汇：they Merriam-Webster: Non-binary pronoun 'they' is word of year

2019年进入倒计时，各大词典根据当年的搜索量和热门事件，纷纷公布年度词汇。而韦氏词典公布的年度词汇可能让你大吃一惊：they，原因是这一词汇今年的搜索量比2018年增加了313%。

Merriam-Webster has named "they" its word of the year.

韦氏词典近日将“they”（他们/她们）评为2019年度词汇。

The US dictionary also recently added a new definition of "they", reflecting its use as a singular personal pronoun for non-binary people.

该词典最近还为“they”添加了新定义，反映出它作为单数人称代词用于非二元性别的用法。

non-binary：非二元性别

Searches for "they" on Merriam-Webster's website were 313% higher this year than they were in 2018.

今年，韦氏词典网站上“they”一词的搜索量比2018年增加了313%。

British pop star Sam Smith came out as non-binary in March, and in September confirmed on Instagram that their pronouns were "they/them".

今年3月，英国流行歌手山姆·史密斯宣称自己是非二元性别者，并于今年9月在Instagram上确认非二元性别者的代词是“they/them”。

Announcing their pronouns, Smith wrote: "I understand there will be many mistakes and misgendering, but all I ask is you please please try. I hope you can see me like I see myself now."

宣布非二元性别者的代词时，史密斯写道：“我知道会有很多错误和性别错称，但我只想请你们试一试。我希望你们认同我对自己的看法。

A number of other high-profile non-binary figures were also in the news this year.

其他一些引人注目的非二元性别人物也出现在今年的新闻中。

Catwalk model Oslo Grace rose to prominence in January, and spoke to fashion magazines Vogue and Dazed and Confused about their gender identity and the fashion world.

1月份，T台模特奥斯陆·格蕾丝声名鹊起，在接受时尚杂志《Vogue》、《Dazed》和《Confused》采访时，谈到了自己的性别身份和时尚界。

Another non-binary model, Ayesha Tan Jones, was also in the news in September - for staging a silent protest while walking a Gucci show in September.

另一位非二元性别模特阿伊莎·谭·琼斯因在9月份为古驰走秀时进行了一场无声的抗议也登上了新闻。

Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor-at-large, told the Associated Press news agency that searches shot up when Oslo Grace was rising to prominence, when Sam Smith came out, and when US congresswoman Pramila Jayapal spoke about her gender-nonconforming child while arguing for LGBTQ rights legislation in April.

韦氏词典的特约编辑彼得·索科洛夫斯基告诉美联社说，奥斯陆·格蕾丝声名鹊起、山姆·史密斯宣称自己是非二元性别者、今年4月，美国国会女议员普拉米拉•贾亚帕尔在为LGBTQ权益法案辩护时，谈到了自己性别认同不一致的孩子，这些事件发生的时候，“they”的搜索量激增。

LGBTQ：同性恋、双性恋和跨性别者

"It reflects a surprising fact: even a basic term - a personal pronoun - can rise to the top of our data," the dictionary said in a statement.

韦氏词典在声明中说：“这反映了一个令人惊讶的事实：即使是一个最基本的词汇——人称代词——也能凭借数据取胜。”

"Although our look-ups are often driven by events in the news, the dictionary is also a primary resource for information about language itself, and the shifting use of 'they' has been the subject of increasing study and commentary in recent years.

“虽然我们的查询经常受到新闻事件的影响，但韦氏词典也是语言本身信息的主要来源，而‘they’用法的改变近年来也成为越来越多的研究和评论的主题。”

"English 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."

“众所周知，英语中缺少一个中性的单数人称代词，无法与‘everyone’或‘someone’等单数人称代词很好地对应，因此，‘they’用于这个指代功能已有600多年的历史。”

Last month, Collins dictionary also recognised the term "non-binary" as a description of people who do not identify as male or female.

上个月，柯林斯词典还将“非二元性别”一词定义为“非男性”或“非女性”。

However its word of the year (actually, words of the year) was "climate strike", after an international protest movement calling for action to combat the climate crisis.

不过，柯林斯词典选择的年度词汇（实为年度短语）是“气候罢工”，这是在一场呼吁采取行动应对气候危机的国际抗议运动之后出现的。

历年韦氏词典年度词汇：

2018: justice 正义

2017: feminism 女权主义

2016: surreal 超现实主义

2015: -ism 表示“主义”

2014: culture 文化

英文来源：BBC

翻译&编辑：yaning