[New Post] Grammar Hammer: The Singular Resurgence of Singular Pronoun They

 

Blogs

Grammar Hammer: The Singular Resurgence of Singular Pronoun They Catherine Spicer One of the most interesting things to me is how language is constantly evolving. Each year, there are new words added to the dictionary. Style guides are updated and once-sacred rules are softened or even eliminated (does anyone remember the big argument over "e-mail" vs. "email"?). The American Dialect Society recently voted for the gender-neutral singular pronoun “they” as its Word of the Year. Similarly, The Washington Post adopted singular “they” into its style guide, as did The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Dictionary.com all within the past year. Trying to figure out what pronoun to use in each situation isn't exactly a new grammatical question. As early as 1794, "they" as a singular pronoun was suggested as a way to identify a singular entity without it being tied to gender. I find it comforting to know that grammarians and writers have been discussing this issue for over 200 years. It makes me feel like I'm not the only one to wonder which word I should be using in the proper context. Consider the following sentences: “Someone left ___ coffee mug in the office cafeteria. Would ___ please collect it?” Which pronouns do you first think of to fill in the blanks? His/He? Her/She? Their/They? Saying "Someone left his coffee mug in the office cafeteria.” or “Would she please collect it?" could be misleading. In certain sentences, “his” or “her” could even be a bit patronizing. The singular version of "they" not only creates an economy of speech (using fewer words to communicate something everyone will understand), it also reflects what's acceptable in common language. It eliminates the need to address a specific gender identity especially when gender identity is irrelevant to the sentence. One remaining question is whether the acceptance of singular “they” will have an impact on other gender-neutral terms. There are many articles out there discussing the adoption of pronouns like "hen" and "ze." Will singular “they” help usher them into widespread use? What ultimately ends up in future style guides is something this Grammar Hammer will be watching. In the meantime, download PR Newswire's Buyer 2.0 Content Strategy Checklist for more of today’s writing dos and don'ts. Author Catherine Spicer is a manager of customer content services with more than 20 years' experience counseling brands on their content. She also authors Beyond PR's long-running Grammar Hammer series. Follow Cathy on Twitter @cathyspicer and tweet her your #grammargripes.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click on the following link: Unsubscribe

[New Post] Election 2016 Tips to Rock Your Press Release Distribution

 

Blogs

Election 2016 Tips to Rock Your Press Release Distribution Alexa Hoffman Presidential campaign season is back and with it, a consistent stream of election-related content. If your brand has decided to jump into the election news cycle, having something that's relevant and useful to add to the conversation is only half the battle. Fail to maximize your press release distribution channels, and your message will miss key audiences. During each election season, voting blocs – groups of people with similar voting patterns and characteristics – rise up as a reflection of demographic shifts in the electorate. And just as each bloc has distinguishing qualities like age, gender, race, ethnicity, and language, they also have distinct preferences for receiving news and interacting with content. Because of these differences, one single method of distribution will not be sufficient to reach the widest audience during the 2016 campaigns. PR and marketing pros need a coordinated, multi-channel approach to distribute election content everywhere that matters, an approach that should include government and political trades, political talk shows, print and broadcast media, online reach and without a doubt, social media. The following primer outlines how to connect your content with three of the presidential election's top voting blocs. Millennials (born 1981-2000) The term “millennial” may be overused, but it's hard to discount the largest generation alive today – especially when almost all of them can vote. Millennials essentially decided the 2008 and 2012 elections, and as they continue to gather voting power, it's important to ensure content reaches them through the channels they prefer. Social Media: This should come as no surprise, given that Facebook, the juggernaut of social media, started as a primarily Millennial-driven phenomenon. In the Media Insight Project's Personal News Cycle study, 70% of Millennials said they learned about news through social media in the previous week, and 13% said social media was their preferred method of receiving news, compared to 3% for other generations. Search Engines: In that same study, more than half of Millennials said when they want to explore a news topic, they use a search engine to dig deeper. Blogs and Web Magazines: Many Millennials trust news sources traditionally staffed by content creators of their own generation, such as Vice, Gawker, and BuzzFeed, as well as more traditional publications, such as The New York Times. Hispanic Americans The United States’ Hispanic population is growing at a rate that outpaces almost every other ethnic group. Half of Hispanic Americans speak Spanish at home and more than half consume media in both English and Spanish, so content provided in only one language significantly decreases the reach to this important bloc. But there's more to reaching this population than focusing on language. Mobile: When it comes to mobile devices, Hispanic Americans are super users. Nielsen recently revealed they use phones for app, audio, video and web purposes more than 14 hours per week. Additionally, bilingual Hispanics spend more than 762 minutes per month talking on their mobile devices, substantially more than the overall average of 510 minutes per month. Social Media: According to a Pew Research Center survey, Hispanic Americans also tend to use Facebook (73%), Twitter (25%), and Instagram (34%) more than average rates, which coincides with the increased use of mobile phones. Combining the language preferences (both English and Spanish) and the use of social media would create a powerful tool for content distribution to this audience. Seniors (born 1960 or earlier) It would be an oversight to not consider the second-largest generation, especially because this group is the most consistent in getting out to vote (not Millennials). Although it seems like the focus for reaching Baby Boomers, the Silent Generation and Generation GI should be on traditional print media, the Pew Research Center has a few surprises in terms of how seniors prefer to receive content. Television: Sixty percent of audiences 55 and older cited their local television station as the most important method for receiving political news. Social Media: Didn't think this would be a top contender? Think again. Thirty-nine percent of seniors get news through Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Each voting bloc, including others that are not listed here, has its own preferences for content consumption that are varied and wide-ranging. Because of this, a partial distribution effort will only reach a partial audience. While there are many options to choose from, asking the right questions about your audience's needs and organization's objectives will help you find the right fit. Download Buyer's Guide: Press Release and Content Distribution Services for more tips on picking the best press release distribution for your brand’s PR and marketing. Alexa Hoffman is PR Newswire's senior product manager for US distribution, which reaches the broadest group of US-based journalists, consumers, bloggers and investors in the industry.  Follow her at @PRNlgbt, where she co-curates PR Newswire's Twitter channel dedicated to LGBT news and culture.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click on the following link: Unsubscribe