Original link: https://blog.fivest.one/archives/6146
Some recent topics related to personal pronouns.
I
Chen Danqing mentioned in the program that Mu Xin told him that the word “I” should be used carefully, when to say it, when not to say it, and where in the sentence, the impact on the audience is different. Although there is no specific example, I have a general idea of what he means.
S asked me before: Is this point of view you mentioned your own, or is it a publicly recognized theory? If it’s just your own summary, why not indicate that this is just “what do you think”?
I don’t think it’s a big deal. The distinction between personal opinion and public theory, in some contexts, is usually discernible and does not need to be marked; in other contexts, the distinction is not so important. Too much focus on this distinction in everyday conversations, and even a bit of an authoritative personality factor in it. – But I did start to actively mark “I think” in the text, and even mention “I think” two or three times in a tweet, thus squeezing the already limited word count. Although I still don’t think it is necessary to do this, it is because of others that I changed my writing habits.
you
What really bothers me is how to use “you” in the text. For example:
Over the years, I have gradually felt that Australia’s economy and welfare system make people feel more comfortable. In other developed countries, most of them are based on the premise that you are serious about being a social screw before you can have security (such as medical insurance). On the one hand, the Australian model will indeed raise lazy people. On the other hand, if you have the motivation to use the strength of lying flat to find fun that has nothing to do with mainstream society, then this model may be more friendly.
The “you” here, replaced by “me”, “he” and “one person”, means the same thing. If you use “you”, you will be worried, will it give people a sense of preaching or even mansplaining? But forcibly changing it to other pronouns, I always feel that it does not conform to the daily speaking habits, which is a bit awkward. ——It is difficult to say whether this “speaking habit” of using “you” itself is the product of some kind of preaching culture? However, if I write in English, I will use one / individuals, I feel very comfortable; but in the Chinese environment, there is no definite solution yet.
they
It was mentioned that with the current trend of encouraging the use of “them” to emphasize women, the word should be used with caution, because sometimes the point of view of “them” as a group is not always appropriate, and there is also patriarchal legacy in it product. The use of “them” at this time removes the responsibility of men as the initiators, thereby allowing the female group to be targeted. …so beware of “them”‘s remarks that discredit “them”.
It sounds a bit sarcastic, but it’s true. I have also noticed this. For example, when complaining about a woman without naming it, it doesn’t really matter if the object of the complaint is a man or a woman, but because I’m afraid of being told, “Do you tend to blame women and ignore men”, I will deliberately change the personal name to “ he”. Sometimes “it” or “them” is also used, – anyway, this kind of arrogance of not treating you as human beings is much lighter than the crime of favoring a certain gender.
In addition, I learned a “He” in the novel. The original meaning is to refer to the divinity that transcends human beings such as Jesus. Sometimes it can also be used when you don’t specify gender and boast.
us
Someone said :
There is a very simple way to judge whether a Chinese is really stupid, and that is to see how the pronoun “we” is used online and offline.
Any use that exceeds the strict meaning of words, such as our home, our school, our company; when it comes to our country, our party, our government, without exception, is a fool.
totally agree. Although I never say “our school” or “our company”. Some people may not even say “our family”. The boundaries of “us” are not the same for everyone. Of course, “our government” is definitely a fool.
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