"They" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun

[Puppycow]

I recently learned something interesting about the grammatical history of the English language:

"You" used to be plural (it still is grammatically plural: we say "you are" not "you is"). The singular form of "you" was "ye" or "thou." But nowadays nobody uses "ye" or "thou" anymore, and "you" is generally thought of as singular despite the fact that it is treated as plural for grammatical purposes.

Now it is becoming increasingly common for people to use "they" instead of "he" as a singular personal pronoun in cases where the sex of the person being referred to is undetermined. But traditionalists still resist this change, especially in writing. Why don't we all just embrace the change and get over it? Start teaching it in school. Put it in the style guides.

 

[ehcks]

I've used it that way for years. There isn't any single word to replace it, and I'm not writing "he or she."

 

[Jeff Corey]

I use it whenever I can. Back in the 60s, when all the she/he, he or she, and other awkward stuff started, I just used they or them. Some editors agreed.

 

[Lucian]

I recently learned something interesting about the grammatical history of the English language:

"You" used to be plural (it still is grammatically plural: we say "you are" not "you is"). The singular form of "you" was "ye" or "thou." But nowadays nobody uses "ye" or "thou" anymore, and "you" is generally thought of as singular despite the fact that it is treated as plural for grammatical purposes.

Now it is becoming increasingly common for people to use "they" instead of "he" as a singular personal pronoun in cases where the sex of the person being referred to is undetermined. But traditionalists still resist this change, especially in writing. Why don't we all just embrace the change and get over it? Start teaching it in school. Put it in the style guides.

No, "ye" was never singular. In Old English the second person nominative plural was "ge" (pronounced "yay," more or less). The "g" became a "y" in Middle English ("ye"). The modern form "you" actually comes from the Old English dative or accusative plural form "eow" (and variant spellings, which evolved into "you").

 

[Jeff Corey]

Meow?

 

[Lucian]

Meow?

Not exactly. [pedant] The "eo" is a diphthong that no longer exists in most dialects of English. Strictly speaking, I believe the "eo" in "Beowulf" should be pronounced as a diphthong rather than as two separate vowels, but nobody pronounces it that way (unless they're reading/reciting passages of the poem). I believe the "w" in "eow" is also pronounced as a consonant. Not all the variants actually have the "w," however. [/pedant]

 

[SezMe]

It's probably inevitable but it grates on my ear nonetheless.

 

[Dragonrock]

I made up the word "wey" as a singular third-person non-gender specific pronoun. What surprised me was the ease with which I could add into the paper. I even used it a couple of times without thinking after I was finished with the paper.

 

[Puppycow]

I made up the word "wey" as a singular third-person non-gender specific pronoun. What surprised me was the ease with which I could add into the paper. I even used it a couple of times without thinking after I was finished with the paper.

Lots of people have tried to make up new words to serve the function, but they never catch on. "They" is catching on organically, so all that really remains to complete the process is for grammarians to accept it as proper English and update their textbooks and style guides.

 

[Puppycow]

It's probably inevitable but it grates on my ear nonetheless.

But don't all the alternatives bother you too?

"He" is sexist. "He or she" is cumbersome. "She" makes you sound like a radical feminist.

"They" is the one that bothers me least.

 

[Belz...]

If I can't tell the gender, I'll use "it".

 

[The Greater Fool]

S/he ?

 

[Pulvinar]

Edited by Loss Leader: 

Deleted for Rule 10. It was clever but it crossed the line.

 

[crimresearch]

I recently learned something interesting about the grammatical history of the English language:

"You" used to be plural (it still is grammatically plural: we say "you are" not "you is"). The singular form of "you" was "ye" or "thou." But nowadays nobody uses "ye" or "thou" anymore, and "you" is generally thought of as singular despite the fact that it is treated as plural for grammatical purposes.

Now it is becoming increasingly common for people to use "they" instead of "he" as a singular personal pronoun in cases where the sex of the person being referred to is undetermined. But traditionalists still resist this change, especially in writing. Why don't we all just embrace the change and get over it? Start teaching it in school. Put it in the style guides.

Wasn't this myth debunked in the other grammar thread?

The notion that 'they', and 'which', and 'Because' are taboo is superstition, nothing more.

 

[PetersCreek]

But don't all the alternatives bother you too?

"He" is sexist. "He or she" is cumbersome. "She" makes you sound like a radical feminist.

...and if you try to equitably alternate between "he" and "she", you're inconsistent.

 

[SezMe]

But don't all the alternatives bother you too?

No.

"He" is sexist.

No, it's not. It's convention. I'll give you that it probably arose out of times when women weren't considered much but that doesn't mean its continued usage is sexist.

"He or she" is cumbersome.

Yes.

"She" makes you sound like a radical feminist.

Aw, c'mon. Radical feminist? Are you a sock for Rush?

 

[autumn1971]

If "they" is good enough for Shakespeare, it's good enough for me.

 

[Almo]

I use "they" in my game rules. "He/she" and "he or she" is horrible.

The best alternative is to use he, then when you're talking about another instance, use she, then switch around. That seems ok to me, but I still prefer "they".

 

[MusicMan]

It's probably inevitable but it grates on my ear nonetheless.

Yup. I think there's no turning back now, but using "they" as a singular pronoun drives me nuts. To me, it's almost as bad as "like" and "you know."

 

[Dragonrock]

Lots of people have tried to make up new words to serve the function, but they never catch on. "They" is catching on organically, so all that really remains to complete the process is for grammarians to accept it as proper English and update their textbooks and style guides.

The paper was about how we could improve the english language. I never expected it to go anywhere and it didn't.