What do we call the singers' species?

[Raven Wilder]

It's common to call the indigenous people of Roshar singers, since most of them are singers. But at least according to Rlain, that's more an indicator of nationality or allegiance than biology - those who serve Odium are singers, while those who broke away are listeners. So what would be the correct term to refer to the entire species, singers and listeners together?

[Trusk'our he/him]

13 minutes ago, Raven Wilder said:

It's common to call the indigenous people of Roshar singers, since most of them are singers. But at least according to Rlain, that's more an indicator of nationality or allegiance than biology - those who serve Odium are singers, while those who broke away are listeners. So what would be the correct term to refer to the entire species, singers and listeners together?

The first WoB (2019) says that Singer can be used as the term to describe the race as a whole, but the second, more recent WoB (2021) states that it is currently unclear.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/402-starsight-release-party/#e13368

Questioner

Can you explain the difference between a singer and a listener? 

Brandon Sanderson

Singer is the name of the people in their own language. Listener, this group that split off from the singers and did not want to be called singers anymore, called themselves listeners and that name perpetuated. You could say that singer is the name of race and listener is the name of the nation.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/458-miscellaneous-2021/#e15134

Questioner: (paraphrased)

Do the singers/listeners/Parshendi/parshmen have a collective noun?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

I haven't really thought about it, but for now they would prefer to be called singers.

This third, even earlier WoB (2018) states that a more universal term will be settled on later.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/370-skyward-seattle-signing/#e11846

Wetlander

Do you have a single name that you use to refer to all the singers, and the listeners, and the Parshmen: that entire species?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, I usually use listener, but that's a cultural thing. So, I don't right now.

Wetlander

I keep struggling with what to call them as a species, and eeehhh are they all singers? I mean they aren't really all singers.

Brandon Sanderson

We'll settle on something eventually.

Wetlander

Okay, but we don't have anything right now.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah.

So it's undecided right now, but there should be something eventually. Alternatively, Singer can be used for them as a race, with Listeners as a specific offshoot culture. 

Edited December 6, 2024 by Trusk'our

[Quantus he/him]

As they say it's kind of up in the air right now.  Within the fandom generally/currently: "Singer" is the Race, "Listener" is a specific sub-culture within that race, and Parshendi/Parshmen are derogatory terms that only the humans used. 

10 hours ago, Raven Wilder said:

So sounds like the word "singer" might be like the word "Jewish", where it can refer to either ethnicity or religious affiliation, depending on context.

Honestly I think that more directly applies to Listener right now, since it was until recently a very specific genetic group (the ones not trapped in Dull-form).  They started as a splinter group based on political/religious/philosophical differences, over the generations that became synonymous with a distinct lineage/ethnicity, but now that the rest have awakened from Dull-form there's becoming examples of people Choosing to become Listeners for reasons mirroring the original Splinter (or Choosing to leave the Listeners and follow Odium) it once again has the ability to be more of an affiliation. 

[Raven Wilder]

So sounds like the word "singer" might be like the word "Jewish", where it can refer to either ethnicity or religious affiliation, depending on context.