Oxford English Dictionary May Include The Gender Neutral Title 'Mx' Alongside 'Mr' And 'Mrs' In New Edition

Gender-Neutral Title 'Mx' May Be Included In Dictionary

Most forms will require us to tick a box marked "Miss", "Mr", "Ms" or "Mrs", but selecting a title from these options can be problematic for some transgender people.

That's why government departments, high street banks, some universities, councils and the Royal Mail all now accept "Mx".

On top of that, the gender-neutral title is now being considered for inclusion in the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

We say, about bloomin' time.

"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 OED told The Sunday Times.

“When you look at the usual drop-down options for titles, they tend to be quite formal and embrace traditional status such as the relationship between a man and wife, such as Mr and Mrs, or a profession such as Dr or even Lord. This is something new.”

The news that OED may include Mx comes after "hen" became the third official pronoun in Sweden.

The gender-neutral pronoun - which can be applied to objects and people who don't wish to specifically identify as male or female - was added to the Swedish Academy's official dictionary in March.

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