Post #3 - Oct 14 - Research Gap

My research gap is actually what I was hoping for. People use singular they in conversation (sometimes without meaning to and/or not knowing it's not correct), and centuries of authoritative writers have used singular they on purpose (Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, etc.). So, my gap is identified in this realm: If English speakers are actually using this conventionally plural pronoun as singular and individuals are now requesting to be called they, has society actually adopted it after decades of protest? I think a carefully constructed survey might offer some insight into what various groups of people actually think (if they care at all). 


Some groups I'd like to survey would likely answer in full acceptance of singular they (Facebook LGBTQ+ ally group) and may skew my results. Other groups would be more neutral but may lean toward a more conservative political outlook due to geographic region (Facebook St George Moms group). Including DSU students, staff, and faculty as survey participants may give a generalized pool of feedback but I worry that traditional students' ages might skew results in favor of a more progressive viewpoint.

My survey questions could include demographic information like age range. However, I feel it might be helpful to ask if the respondents have any LGBTQ+ friends/family or personally identify "on the rainbow spectrum" as I've started calling it. Respondents who know of or support a rainbow individual may also skew results. I wonder if those who have no personal affiliation with any gender-nonconforming people would answer that they don't care either way if they is a singular or plural pronoun. Then, identifying how various individuals lean one way or another may help establish patterns one way or the other.

Or, maybe I'll just repeat one experiment that some researchers performed. They showed pictures to respondents and asked those surveyed to categorize the pictures as female, male, or gender-neutral. Some pictures were most obviously female or unmistakably male. Some pictures were ambiguous. The researchers also asked respondents to identify themselves as female, male, genderqueer, nonbinary, or gender-fluid, etc. Very interesting stuff.  The relationship between how we view ourselves, what we're open to, and how we view others is inherently interconnected.







Comments

  1. Brooke CarpenterOctober 9, 2020 at 9:18 AM

    Hey Rachel! It is interesting that the pronoun "they" has actually been used for a long time. I guess it makes sense, because there are times I have used it if I wasn't sure if we were discussing a female or a male, but it is interesting that in a way, using it or not using it is a taboo. It sounds like you are really enjoying your research topic! I think it's definitely a topic that will create good material for further research.

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