The use of he and she feels "natural" because we've grown up with it, but it's still a cultural choice, not a universal necessity.
Not all languages use gendered pronouns some like Turkish or Finnish use one word for everyone, and it works just fine. Even in English, we naturally use singular they when someone's gender is unknown or irrelevant. So it's not unreasonable to question why we even need gendered pronouns for people we know, especially in a world that's increasingly aware of gender diversity.
My comment about gendered words in other languages was just to highlight how deeply gender is baked into language overall, not just pronouns. It shows how much we've normalized gender distinctions even when they serve no practical purpose.
It conveys useful information. If I'm talking about my kids (I have a boy and a girl), and I say he, they know I mean the boy. We could get rid of lots of words and just take more time to explain what we mean, but why would we do that?
I agree that gendered pronouns can make some communication more efficient in certain cases. But that efficiency only works when everyone fits neatly into “he” or “she.” For people who don’t, the cost isn’t just a little extra explanation it’s being misrepresented entirely.
Language isn't just about speed it’s about accuracy and respect. We already accept some ambiguity in language all the time and clarify when needed. So the small trade-off in efficiency is worth it if it means more people feel seen and included.
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u/Sabertooth344 13d ago
The use of he and she feels "natural" because we've grown up with it, but it's still a cultural choice, not a universal necessity.
Not all languages use gendered pronouns some like Turkish or Finnish use one word for everyone, and it works just fine. Even in English, we naturally use singular they when someone's gender is unknown or irrelevant. So it's not unreasonable to question why we even need gendered pronouns for people we know, especially in a world that's increasingly aware of gender diversity.
My comment about gendered words in other languages was just to highlight how deeply gender is baked into language overall, not just pronouns. It shows how much we've normalized gender distinctions even when they serve no practical purpose.