2019年進入倒計時，各大詞典根據當年的搜索量和熱門事件，紛紛公布年度詞彙。而韋氏詞典公布的年度詞彙可能讓你大吃一驚：they，原因是這一詞彙今年的搜索量比2018年增加了313%。
Merriam-Webster has named "they" its word of the year.
韋氏詞典近日將「they」（他們/她們）評為2019年度詞彙。
The US dictionary also recently added a new definition of "they", reflecting its use as a singular personal pronoun for non-binary people.
該詞典最近還為「they」添加了新定義，反映出它作為單數人稱代詞用於非二元性別的用法。
non-binary：非二元性別
Searches for "they" on Merriam-Webster's website were 313% higher this year than they were in 2018.
今年，韋氏詞典網站上「they」一詞的搜索量比2018年增加了313%。
British pop star Sam Smith came out as non-binary in March, and in September confirmed on Instagram that their pronouns were "they/them".
今年3月，英國流行歌手山姆·史密斯宣稱自己是非二元性別者，並於今年9月在Instagram上確認非二元性別者的代詞是「they/them」。
Announcing their pronouns, Smith wrote: "I understand there will be many mistakes and misgendering, but all I ask is you please please try. I hope you can see me like I see myself now."
宣布非二元性別者的代詞時，史密斯寫道：「我知道會有很多錯誤和性別錯稱，但我只想請你們試一試。我希望你們認同我對自己的看法。
Sam Smith [Photo provided to China Daily]
A number of other high-profile non-binary figures were also in the news this year.
其他一些引人注目的非二元性別人物也出現在今年的新聞中。
Catwalk model Oslo Grace rose to prominence in January, and spoke to fashion magazines Vogue and Dazed and Confused about their gender identity and the fashion world.
1月份，T臺模特奧斯陸·格蕾絲聲名鵲起，在接受時尚雜誌《Vogue》、《Dazed》和《Confused》採訪時，談到了自己的性別身份和時尚界。
Another non-binary model, Ayesha Tan Jones, was also in the news in September - for staging a silent protest while walking a Gucci show in September.
另一位非二元性別模特阿伊莎·譚·瓊斯因在9月份為古馳走秀時進行了一場無聲的抗議也登上了新聞。
Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor-at-large, told the Associated Press news agency that searches shot up when Oslo Grace was rising to prominence, when Sam Smith came out, and when US congresswoman Pramila Jayapal spoke about her gender-nonconforming child while arguing for LGBTQ rights legislation in April.
韋氏詞典的特約編輯彼得·索科洛夫斯基告訴美聯社說，奧斯陸·格蕾絲聲名鵲起、山姆·史密斯宣稱自己是非二元性別者、今年4月，美國國會女議員普拉米拉賈亞帕爾在為LGBTQ權益法案辯護時，談到了自己性別認同不一致的孩子，這些事件發生的時候，「they」的搜索量激增。
LGBTQ：同性戀、雙性戀和跨性別者
"It reflects a surprising fact: even a basic term - a personal pronoun - can rise to the top of our data," the dictionary said in a statement.
韋氏詞典在聲明中說：「這反映了一個令人驚訝的事實：即使是一個最基本的詞彙——人稱代詞——也能憑藉數據取勝。」
"Although our look-ups are often driven by events in the news, the dictionary is also a primary resource for information about language itself, and the shifting use of 'they' has been the subject of increasing study and commentary in recent years.
「雖然我們的查詢經常受到新聞事件的影響，但韋氏詞典也是語言本身信息的主要來源，而『they』用法的改變近年來也成為越來越多的研究和評論的主題。」
"English famously lacks a gender-neutral singular pronoun to correspond neatly with singular pronouns like 'everyone' or 'someone', and as a consequence 'they' has been used for this purpose for over 600 years."
「眾所周知，英語中缺少一個中性的單數人稱代詞，無法與『everyone』或『someone』等單數人稱代詞很好地對應，因此，『they』用於這個指代功能已有600多年的歷史。」
Last month, Collins dictionary also recognised the term "non-binary" as a description of people who do not identify as male or female.
上個月，柯林斯詞典還將「非二元性別」一詞定義為「非男性」或「非女性」。
However its word of the year (actually, words of the year) was "climate strike", after an international protest movement calling for action to combat the climate crisis.
不過，柯林斯詞典選擇的年度詞彙（實為年度短語）是「氣候罷工」，這是在一場呼籲採取行動應對氣候危機的國際抗議運動之後出現的。
歷年韋氏詞典年度詞彙：
2018: justice 正義
2017: feminism 女權主義
2016: surreal 超現實主義
2015: -ism 表示「主義」
2014: culture 文化
英文來源：BBC
翻譯&編輯：yaning
來源：中國日報網