Thursday, May 07, 2015

Race to the bottom!----Oxford Dictionary May Add Gender-Neutral 'Mx' Honorific

Oxford Dictionary May Add Gender-Neutral 'Mx' Honorific | The Daily Caller:
"The Oxford English Dictionary may soon add the gender-neutral “Mx” honorific as a way to address people who are transgender or do not identify with either gender.
“Mx,” which proponents proclaim is pronounced as either “mux” or “mix,” would be joining the ranks of other honorifics, such as “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Ms.,” and “Miss.” “Mx” would be the first addition to the traditional honorifics in decades.
A gender-neutral bathroom is seen at the University of California, Irvine in Irvine, Calif., Sept. 30, 2014.  (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson)“This is an example of how the English language adapts to people’s needs, with people using language in ways that suit them rather than letting language dictate identity to them,” Jonathan Dent, assistant editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, told The Sunday Times.
The United Kingdom has already begun accepting “Mx” on official government documents in the past few years.
Banks and universities in the U.K. have also started to use the honorific, although one company admits it isn’t using the title “because employees were unsure about how to pronounce it without offending.”"

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