Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

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BobF
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by BobF »

Curious about thoughts on the use of the their pronoun for the John Legend clue in the context of Jeopardy or trivia games in general. Considering how their has traditionally been a plural pronoun this could easily make trivia more confusing. I guess they need to balance it with Legends preferred pronoun, so the video accompanying the clue worked.

Edit: never mind, Legend does seem to use male pronouns, I think the clue was written poorly since he was the only one performing but the pronoun used was their.

I tell you the 2020s are a confusing time for those of us born before man walked on the moon.
Last edited by BobF on Fri May 13, 2022 10:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 8:58 am Curious about thoughts on the use of the their pronoun for the John Legend clue in the context of Jeopardy or trivia games in general. Considering how their has traditionally been a plural pronoun this could easily make trivia more confusing. I guess they need to balance it with Legends preferred pronoun, so the video accompanying the clue worked.
That was a plural "their": "Performing in 2020 just after their family suffered a miscarriage, this piano maestro dedicated 'Never Break' to his wife"

As in, his and his wife's family.
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by BobF »

seaborgium wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 9:51 am
BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 8:58 am Curious about thoughts on the use of the their pronoun for the John Legend clue in the context of Jeopardy or trivia games in general. Considering how their has traditionally been a plural pronoun this could easily make trivia more confusing. I guess they need to balance it with Legends preferred pronoun, so the video accompanying the clue worked.
That was a plural "their": "Performing in 2020 just after their family suffered a miscarriage, this piano maestro dedicated 'Never Break' to his wife"

As in, his and his wife's family.
But to me the their pronoun was for “this piano maestro” since he was the only one performing.

So maybe the clue was poorly written grammatically?
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 10:02 am
seaborgium wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 9:51 am
BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 8:58 am Curious about thoughts on the use of the their pronoun for the John Legend clue in the context of Jeopardy or trivia games in general. Considering how their has traditionally been a plural pronoun this could easily make trivia more confusing. I guess they need to balance it with Legends preferred pronoun, so the video accompanying the clue worked.
That was a plural "their": "Performing in 2020 just after their family suffered a miscarriage, this piano maestro dedicated 'Never Break' to his wife"

As in, his and his wife's family.
But to me the their pronoun was for “this piano maestro” since he was the only one performing.

So maybe the clue was poorly written grammatically?
You read it wrong. "His wife" at the end indicates exactly what John Legend's pronouns are, and therefore that "their" had a plural antecedent (even though the antecedent didn't come before it).
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by opusthepenguin »

seaborgium wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 10:20 am
BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 10:02 am
seaborgium wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 9:51 am
BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 8:58 am Curious about thoughts on the use of the their pronoun for the John Legend clue in the context of Jeopardy or trivia games in general. Considering how their has traditionally been a plural pronoun this could easily make trivia more confusing. I guess they need to balance it with Legends preferred pronoun, so the video accompanying the clue worked.
That was a plural "their": "Performing in 2020 just after their family suffered a miscarriage, this piano maestro dedicated 'Never Break' to his wife"

As in, his and his wife's family.
But to me the their pronoun was for “this piano maestro” since he was the only one performing.

So maybe the clue was poorly written grammatically?
You read it wrong. "His wife" at the end indicates exactly what John Legend's pronouns are, and therefore that "their" had a plural antecedent (even though the antecedent didn't come before it).
I think it's a poorly written garden path construction. The "their" would naturally refer to those doing the performing. It's only when the second half of the sentence drops that one realizes a need to re-interpret what has gone before.
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Xu Donym »

opusthepenguin wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 10:52 am I think it's a poorly written garden path construction. The "their" would naturally refer to those doing the performing. It's only when the second half of the sentence drops that one realizes a need to re-interpret what has gone before.
The clue as awkwardly presented:
Performing in 2020 just after their family suffered a miscarriage, this piano maestro dedicated "Never Break" to his wife

The clue lightly edited to conform to standard modern English:
Performing in 2020 just after his wife suffered a miscarriage, this piano maestro dedicated "Never Break" to her

If you feel a great need to acknowledge that the husband also suffered because of his wife's medical event, just change the original's "their" to "his" or "the" instead.
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by LucarioSnooperVixey »

58 R (Missed Billboard $1000 and Auntie $1600.)
DD: 3/3
FJ: :mrgreen:
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

opusthepenguin wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 10:52 am
seaborgium wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 10:20 am
BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 10:02 am
seaborgium wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 9:51 am
BobF wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 8:58 am Curious about thoughts on the use of the their pronoun for the John Legend clue in the context of Jeopardy or trivia games in general. Considering how their has traditionally been a plural pronoun this could easily make trivia more confusing. I guess they need to balance it with Legends preferred pronoun, so the video accompanying the clue worked.
That was a plural "their": "Performing in 2020 just after their family suffered a miscarriage, this piano maestro dedicated 'Never Break' to his wife"

As in, his and his wife's family.
But to me the their pronoun was for “this piano maestro” since he was the only one performing.

So maybe the clue was poorly written grammatically?
You read it wrong. "His wife" at the end indicates exactly what John Legend's pronouns are, and therefore that "their" had a plural antecedent (even though the antecedent didn't come before it).
I think it's a poorly written garden path construction. The "their" would naturally refer to those doing the performing. It's only when the second half of the sentence drops that one realizes a need to re-interpret what has gone before.
If you default to understanding "their" as plural, then it's fine; you're just sort of left hanging for a little while till you read or hear who the other, non-performing person is.

It's not an entirely apt comparison I admit, but if you were talking to exactly one guy and no one else and he said "our family" to refer to his family, it wouldn't be weird.
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Re: Thursday, May 12, 2022 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by mxc_takeshi »

33 right.

Lach Trash: Hot Springs National Park, Kit Carson, Salmonella, Saladin, the Vietnam War, Auntie Mame

DD: Mexico City, Sir Thomas More

FJ: :mrgreen:
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