We need to add new pronouns to our languages (it’s not what you think).
> The factory workers blame the government officials. They think that they are responsible for all their problems, which caused them a lot of pain because of the decisions they made. They are convinced that their anger is caused by them.
Notice how the pronouns (they/them/their) refer to two groups of people (workers and officials), and we have to figure out which is which from the context. This is not optimal.
What we need is a new set of pronouns that can be used when “they” are talking about “other they”, e.g.
> The factory workers blame the government officials. They think that xey are responsible for all their problems, which caused them a lot of pain because of the decisions xey made. They are convinced that their anger is caused by xem.
Much better. The workers are they/them/their, and the officials are xey/xem/xeir.
Why does this not exist? It would be so useful.
@simevidas English isn’t my mother tongue, so, well … Could the word “those” be used? They think that those are responsible …
@charakterziffer I’m not sure either.
You can use "the former" & "the latter". Or use synonyms. Or join all the statements in one and keep the subject.
A different "they" risks people getting lost not knowing who is who.
"The factory workers blame the decisions made by government officials for all their problems, the pain caused, and the resulting anger."
Disclaimer: English isn't my mother tongue either.
