Singular ''they'', along with its
inflected
In linguistic morphology, inflection (or inflexion) is a process of word formation in which a word is modified to express different grammatical categories such as tense, case, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, mood, animacy, and defi ...
or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'' and ''themselves'' (or
''themself''), is a
gender-neutral
Gender neutrality (adjective form: gender-neutral), also known as gender-neutralism or the gender neutrality movement, is the idea that policies, language, and other social institutions (social structures or gender roles) should avoid distinguish ...
third-person pronoun
Personal pronouns are pronouns that are associated primarily with a particular grammatical person – first person (as ''I''), second person (as ''you''), or third person (as ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', ''they''). Personal pronouns may also take dif ...
. It typically occurs with an unspecified
antecedent, in sentences such as:
:"''Somebody'' left ''their'' umbrella in the office. Could you please let ''them'' know where ''they'' can get it?"
:"''The patient'' should be told at the outset how much ''they'' will be required to pay."
:"But ''a journalist'' should not be forced to reveal ''their'' sources."
This use of singular ''
they
In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject.
Morphology
In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms:
* ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form
* ''them'': the accusat ...
'' had emerged by the 14th century, about a century after the plural ''they''. It has been commonly employed in everyday English ever since and has gained currency in official contexts. Singular ''they'' has been criticised since the mid-18th century by
prescriptive commentators who consider it an error. Its continued use in modern
standard English
In an English-speaking country, Standard English (SE) is the variety of English that has undergone substantial regularisation and is associated with formal schooling, language assessment, and official print publications, such as public service a ...
has become more common and formally accepted with the move toward
gender-neutral language
Gender-neutral language or gender-inclusive language is language that avoids bias towards a particular sex or gender. In English, this includes use of nouns that are not gender-specific to refer to roles or professions, formation of phrases in a c ...
. Though some early-21st-century
style guide
A style guide or manual of style is a set of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents. It is often called a style sheet, although that term also has multiple other meanings. The standards can be applied either for gene ...
s described it as
colloquial
Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conver ...
and less appropriate in formal writing, by 2020 most style guides accepted the singular ''they'' as a personal pronoun.
In the early 21st century, use of singular ''they'' with known individuals emerged for people
who do not identify as male or female, as in, for example, "This is my friend, ''Jay''. I met ''them'' at work." ''They'' in this context was named ''Word of the Year'' for 2015 by the
American Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society (ADS), founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society ...
,
and for 2019 by
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster, Inc. is an American company that publishes reference books and is especially known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States.
In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as ...
.
In 2020, the American Dialect Society also selected it as ''Word of the Decade'' for the 2010s.
Inflected forms and derivative pronouns
Like the "singular ''you''", "singular ''they''" permits a singular antecedent, but is used with the same verb forms as plural ''they'', and has the same inflected forms as plural ''they'' (i.e. ''them'', ''their'', and ''theirs''), except that in the reflexive form, ''themself'' is sometimes used instead of ''themselves''.
''Themself'' is attested from the 14th to 16th centuries. Its use has been increasing since the 1970s or 1980s, though it is sometimes still classified as "a minority form". In 2002, Payne and
Huddleston, in ''The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language'', called its use in standard dialect "rare and acceptable only to a minority of speakers" but "likely to increase with the growing acceptance of ''they'' as a singular pronoun". It is useful when referring to a single person of indeterminate gender, where the plural form ''themselves'' might seem incongruous, as in:
:"It is not an actor pretending to be Reagan or Thatcher, it is, in grotesque form, the person themself." —
Ian Hislop
Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, writer, broadcaster, and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes and has been a team captain on the BBC quiz sho ...
(1984); quoted in Fowler's
Regional preferences
The Canadian government recommends ''themselves'' as the reflexive form of singular ''they'' for use in Canadian federal legislative texts and advises against using ''themself''.
Usage
''They'' with a singular antecedent goes back to the
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
of the 14th century (slightly younger than ''they'' with a plural antecedent, which was borrowed from
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
in the 13th century), and has remained in use for centuries in spite of its proscription by traditional grammarians beginning in the mid 18th century.
Informal spoken English exhibits universal use of the singular ''they''. An examination by Jürgen Gerner of the
British National Corpus
The British National Corpus (BNC) is a 100-million-word text corpus of samples of written and spoken English from a wide range of sources. The corpus covers British English of the late 20th century from a wide variety of genres, with the intention ...
published in 1998 found that British speakers, regardless of social status, age, sex, or region, used the singular ''they'' more often than the gender-neutral ''he'' or other options.
Prescription of generic ''he''
Alongside ''they'', it has historically been acceptable to use the pronoun ''he'' to refer to an indefinite person of any gender, as in the following:
:"If ''any one'' did not know it, it was ''his'' own fault." —
George Washington Cable
George Washington Cable (October 12, 1844 – January 31, 1925) was an American novelist notable for the realism of his portrayals of Creole life in his native New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been called "the most important southern artist wor ...
, ''Old Creole Days'' (1879); quoted by Baskervill & Sewell.
:"''Every person'' who turns this page has ''his'' own little diary." — W. M. Thackeray, ''On Lett's Diary'' (1869); quoted in Baskervill & Sewell, ''An English Grammar''.
The earliest known explicit recommendation by a grammarian to use the generic ''he'' rather than ''they'' in formal English is
Ann Fisher's mid-18th century ''A New Grammar'' assertion that "The ''Masculine Person'' answers to the ''general Name'', which comprehends both ''Male'' and ''Female''; as, ''any Person who knows what he says.''" (Ann Fisher as quoted by Ostade)
Nineteenth-century grammarians insisted on ''he'' as a gender-neutral pronoun on the grounds of
number agreement
In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions (such as "one", "two" or "three or more"). English and other languages present number categories of ...
, while rejecting "he or she" as clumsy, and this was widely adopted: e.g. in 1850, the British Parliament passed an act which provided that, when used in acts of Parliament "words importing the masculine gender shall be deemed and taken to include females". Baskervill and Sewell mention the common use of the singular ''they'' in their ''An English Grammar for the Use of High School, Academy and College Class'' of 1895, but prefer the generic ''he'' on the basis of number agreement.
Baskervill gives a number of examples of recognized authors using the singular ''they'', including:
:"''Every one'' must judge according to ''their'' own feelings." —
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
, ''Werner'' (1823), quoted as "''Every one'' must judge of
ic''their'' own feelings."
:"Had the Doctor been contented to take my dining tables as ''any body'' in ''their'' senses would have done ..." —
Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
, ''
Mansfield Park
''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray, still within Austen's lifetime. The novel did not receive any public reviews unt ...
'' (1814);
It has been argued that the real motivation for promoting the "generic" ''he'' was an androcentric world view, with the default sex of humans being male – and the default gender therefore being masculine. There is some evidence for this: Wilson wrote in 1560:
:"... let us keepe a naturall order, and set the man before the woman for manners sake". — Wilson, ''The arte of Rhetorique'' (1560);
:"... the worthier is preferred and set before. As a man is set before a woman ..." — Wilson, ''The arte of Rhetorique'' (1560);
And Poole wrote in 1646:
:"The Masculine gender is more worthy than the Feminine." — Poole ''The English Accidence'' (1646); cited by Bodine
In spite of continuous attempts on the part of educationalists to proscribe singular ''they'' in favour of ''he'', this advice was ignored; even writers of the period continued to use ''they'' (though the proscription may have been observed more by American writers). Use of the purportedly gender-neutral ''he'' remained acceptable until at least the 1960s, though some uses of ''he'' were later criticized as being awkward or silly, for instance when referring to:
*Indeterminate persons of both sexes:
:"The ideal that ''every boy and girl'' should be so equipped that ''he'' shall not be handicapped in ''his'' struggle for social progress ..." — C. C. Fries, ''American English Grammar'', (1940).
*Known persons of both sexes:
:"She and Louis had a game – who could find the ugliest photograph of himself." — Joseph P. Lash, ''Eleanor and Franklin'' (1971)
Contemporary use of ''he'' to refer to a generic or indefinite antecedent
''He'' is still sometimes found in contemporary writing when referring to a generic or indeterminate antecedent. In some cases it is clear from the situation that the persons potentially referred to are likely to be male, as in:
:"The patient should be informed of his therapeutic options." — a text about prostate cancer (2004)
In some cases the antecedent may refer to persons who are only ''probably'' male or to occupations traditionally thought of as male:
:"It wouldn't be as if ''the lone astronaut'' would be completely by ''himself''." (2008)
:"Kitchen table issues ... are ones ''the next president'' can actually do something about if ''he'' actually cares about it. More likely if she cares about it!" — Hillary Rodham Clinton (2008)
In other situations, the antecedent may refer to an indeterminate person of either sex:
:"Now, a writer is entitled to have a Roget on ''his'' desk." — Barzun (1985); quoted in ''Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage''
:"A Member of Parliament should always live in ''his'' constituency."
In 2015, ''Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' calls this "the now outmoded use of ''he'' to mean 'anyone, stating:
In 2016, ''Garner's Modern English'' calls the generic use of masculine pronouns "the traditional view, now widely assailed as sexist".
The rise of gender-neutral language
The earliest known attempt to create gender-neutral pronouns dates back to 1792, when Scottish economist James Anderson advocated for an indeterminate pronoun "ou".
In 1808, poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge suggested "it" and "which" as neutral pronouns for the word "Person":
In the second half of the 20th century, people expressed more widespread concern at the use of male-oriented language. This included criticism of the use of ''man'' as a generic term to include men and women and of the use of ''he'' to refer to any human, regardless of sex (social gender).
It was argued that ''he'' could not sensibly be used as a generic pronoun understood to include men and women.
William Safire
William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He w ...
in his ''On Language'' column in ''The New York Times'' approved of the use of generic ''he'', mentioning the mnemonic phrase "the male embraces the female". C. Badendyck from Brooklyn wrote to the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' in a reply:
By 1980, the movement toward gender-neutral language had gained wide support, and many organizations, including most publishers, had issued guidelines on the use of gender-neutral language, but stopped short of recommending ''they'' to be third-person singular with a non-indeterminate, singular antecedent.
Contemporary usage
The use of masculine generic nouns and pronouns in written and spoken language has decreased since the 1970s.
In a corpus of spontaneous speech collected in Australia in the 1990s, singular ''they'' had become the most frequently used generic pronoun (rather than generic ''he'' or ''he or she''). Similarly, a study from 2002 looking at a corpus of American and British newspapers showed a preference for ''they'' to be used as a singular epicene pronoun.
The increased use of singular ''they'' may owe in part to an increasing desire for
gender-neutral language
Gender-neutral language or gender-inclusive language is language that avoids bias towards a particular sex or gender. In English, this includes use of nouns that are not gender-specific to refer to roles or professions, formation of phrases in a c ...
. A solution in formal writing has often been to write "''he or she"'', or something similar, but this is often considered awkward or overly
politically correct
''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
, particularly when used excessively. In 2016, the journal ''American Speech'' published a study by Darren K. LaScotte investigating the pronouns used by native English speakers in informal written responses to questions concerning a subject of unspecified gender, finding that 68% of study participants chose singular ''they'' to refer to such an antecedent. Some participants noted that they found constructions such as "he or she" inadequate as they do not include people who
identify as neither male nor female.
''They'' in this context was named Word of the Year for 2019 by Merriam-Webster
and for 2015 by the American Dialect Society.
On January 4, 2020, the American Dialect Society announced they had crowned ''they'', again in this context, Word of the Decade for the 2010s.
Use with a pronoun antecedent
The singular antecedent can be a pronoun such as ''someone'', ''anybody'', or ''everybody'', or an interrogative pronoun such as ''who'':
*With ''somebody'' or ''someone'':
:"I feel that if ''someone'' is not doing ''their'' job it should be called to ''their'' attention." —an American newspaper (1984); quoted by Fowler.
*With ''anybody'' or ''anyone'':
:"If ''anyone'' tells you that America's best days are behind her, then ''they''re looking the wrong way." President George Bush, 1991 State of the Union Address; quoted by Garner
:"''Anyone'' can set ''themselves'' up as an acupuncturist." —Sarah Lonsdale "Sharp Practice Pricks Reputation of Acupuncture". ''Observer'' 15 December 1991, as cited by Garner
:"If ''anybody'' calls, take ''their'' name and ask ''them'' to call again later." Example given by Swan
:"It will be illegal for ''anyone'' to donate an organ to ''their'' wife, husband, adopted child, adopted parent or close friend."
*With ''nobody'' or ''no one'':
:"''No one'' put ''their'' hand up." Example given by Huddleston et al.
:"''No one'' felt ''they'' had been misled." Example given by Huddleston et al.
*With an interrogative pronoun as antecedent:
:"''Who'' thinks ''they'' can solve the problem?". Example given by Huddleston et al.; ''The Cambridge Grammar of the English language''.
*With ''everybody'', ''everyone'', etc.:
:"''Everyone'' promised to behave ''themselves''." Example given by Huddleston et al.
=Notional plurality or pairwise relationships
=
Although the pronouns ''everybody'', ''everyone'', ''nobody'', and ''no one'' are singular in form and are used with a singular verb, these pronouns have an "implied plurality" that is somewhat similar to the implied plurality of collective or group nouns such as ''crowd'' or ''team'', and in some sentences where the antecedent is one of these "implied plural" pronouns, the word ''they'' cannot be replaced by generic ''he'', suggesting a "notional plural" rather than a "bound variable" interpretation . This is in contrast to sentences that involve multiple pairwise relationships and singular ''they'', such as:
:"''Everyone'' loves ''their'' mother."
:I never did get into that football thing', she said after ''everyone'' returned to ''their'' seat."
:"''Everyone'' doubts ''themselves''/''themself'' at one time or another."
There are examples where the antecedent pronoun (such as ''everyone'') may refer to a collective, with no necessary implication of pairwise relationships. These are examples of plural ''they'':
:"At first ''everyone'' in the room was singing; then ''they'' began to laugh." Example given by Kolln.
:"''Everybody'' was crouched behind the furniture to surprise me, and ''they'' tried to. But I already knew ''they'' were there." Example given by Garner.
:"''Nobody'' was late, were ''they''?" Example given by Swan.
Which are apparent because they do not work with a generic ''he'' or ''he or she'':
:"At first ''everyone'' in the room was singing; then ''he or she'' began to laugh." Example given by Kolln.
:"''Everybody'' was crouched behind the furniture to surprise me, and ''he'' tried to. But I already knew ''he'' was there."
:"''Nobody'' was late, was ''he''?"
In addition, for these "notional plural" cases, it would not be appropriate to use ''themself'' instead of ''themselves'' as in:
:"''Everybody'' was crouched behind the furniture to surprise me, but ''they'' instead surprised ''themself''."
Use with a generic noun as antecedent
The singular antecedent can also be a noun such as ''person'', ''patient'', or ''student'':
*With a noun (e.g. person, student, patient) used generically (e.g. in the sense of any member of that class or a specific member unknown to the speaker or writer)
:"cognitive dissonance: "a concept in psychology
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
describes the condition in which ''a person's'' attitudes conflict with ''their'' behaviour". — ''Macmillan Dictionary of Business and Management'' (1988), as cited by Garner.
:"A starting point would be to give more support to ''the company secretary''. ''They'' are, or should be, privy to the confidential deliberations and secrets of the board and the company. —Ronald Severn. "Protecting the Secretary Bird". ''Financial Times'', 6 January 1992; quoted by Garner.
*With representatives of a class previously referred to in the singular
:"I had to decide: Is ''this person'' being irrational or is he right? Of course, ''they'' were often right." — Robert Burchfield in ''U.S. News & World Report'' 11 August 1986, as cited in ''Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage''
Even when referring to a class of persons of known sex, ''they'' is sometimes used:
:"I swear more when I'm talking to ''a boy'', because I'm not afraid of shocking ''them''". From an interview.
:"''No mother'' should be forced to testify against ''their'' child".
''They'' may also be used with antecedents of mixed genders:
:"Let me know if ''your father or your mother'' changes ''their'' mind." Example given by Huddleston et al.
:"Either ''the husband or the wife'' has perjured ''themself''." Here ''themself'' might be acceptable to some, ''themselves'' seems less acceptable, and ''himself'' is unacceptable. Example given by Huddleston et al.
Even for a definite known person of known sex, ''they'' may be used in order to ignore or conceal the sex.
:"I had ''a friend'' in Paris, and ''they'' had to go to hospital for a month." (definite person, not identified)
The word ''themself'' is also sometimes used when the antecedent is known or believed to be a single person:
:"''Someone'' has apparently locked ''themself'' in the office."
cceptability questionable
Use for specific, known people, including non-binary people
Known individuals may be referred to as ''they'' if the individual's gender is unknown to the speaker.
A known individual may also be referred to as ''they'' if the individual is
non-binary or genderqueer and considers ''they'' and derivatives as appropriate pronouns. Several social media applications permit account holders to choose to identify their gender using one of a variety of non-binary or genderqueer options, such as ''
genderfluid
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...
'', ''
agender
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...
'', or ''
bigender
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typica ...
'', and to designate pronouns, including ''they''/''them'', which they wish to be used when referring to them. Explicitly designating one's pronouns as ''they''/''them'' increases the chance that people will interpret "they" as singular. Though "singular ''they''" has long been used with antecedents such as ''everybody'' or generic persons of unknown gender, this use, which may be chosen by an individual, is recent. The earliest recorded usage of this sense documented by the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
'' is in a tweet from 2009; the journal ''
American Speech
''American Speech'' is a quarterly academic journal of the American Dialect Society, established in 1925 and currently published by Duke University Press. It focuses primarily on the English language used in the Western Hemisphere, but also publis ...
'' documents an example from 2008 in an article in the journal ''
Women's Studies Quarterly
''Women's Studies Quarterly'', often referred to as ''WSQ'', is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal of women's studies that was established in 1972 and published by The Feminist Press. The Feminist Press was founded by Florence Howe in 1970. ...
''. As of 2020, singular ''they'' is the most popular pronoun set used by non-binary people. Approximately 80% consider it appropriate for themselves.
The singular ''they'' in the meaning "gender-neutral singular pronoun for a known person, as a non-binary identifier" was chosen by the
American Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society (ADS), founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society ...
as their "Word of the Year" for 2015. In 2016, the American Dialect Society wrote:
The vote followed the previous year's approval of this use by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' style guide, when
Bill Walsh, the ''Post''s copy editor, said that the singular ''they'' is "the only sensible solution to English's lack of a gender-neutral third-person singular personal pronoun".
In 2019, the non-binary ''they'' was added to
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster, Inc. is an American company that publishes reference books and is especially known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States.
In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as ...
's dictionary.
The first non-binary main character on North American television appeared on the
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
drama series
''Billions'' in 2017, with
Asia Kate Dillon
Asia Kate Dillon (born November 15, 1984) is an American actor, best known for their roles as Brandy Epps in ''Orange Is the New Black'' and Taylor Mason in '' Billions''. Dillon identifies as non-binary and uses singular they pronouns. Their ...
playing Taylor Mason. Both actor and character use singular ''they''.
Acceptability and prescriptive guidance
Though both generic ''he'' and generic ''they'' have long histories of use, and both are still used, both are also systematically avoided by particular groups.
Style guide
A style guide or manual of style is a set of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents. It is often called a style sheet, although that term also has multiple other meanings. The standards can be applied either for gene ...
s that avoid expressing a preference for either approach sometimes recommend recasting a problem sentence, for instance replacing generic expressions with plurals to avoid the criticisms of either party.
The use of singular ''they'' may be more accepted in British English than in American English, or vice versa.
Usage guidance in American style guides
''Garner's Modern American Usage''
''
Garner's Modern American Usage
''Garner's Modern English Usage'' (''GMEU''), written by Bryan A. Garner and published by Oxford University Press, is a usage dictionary and style guide (or ' prescriptive dictionary') for contemporary Modern English. It was first published in 1 ...
'' (2nd ed., 2003) recommends cautious use of singular ''they'', and avoidance where possible because its use is stigmatized.
:"Where noun–pronoun disagreement can be avoided, avoid it. Where it can't be avoided, resort to it cautiously because some people will doubt your literacy ..."
Garner suggests that use of singular ''they'' is more acceptable in British English:
:"Speakers of resist this development more than speakers of , in which the indeterminate ''they'' is already more or less standard."
and apparently regrets the resistance by the American language community:
:"That it sets many literate Americans' teeth on edge is an unfortunate obstacle to what promises to be the ultimate solution to the problem."
He regards the trend toward using singular ''they'' with antecedents like ''everybody'', ''anyone'' and ''somebody'' as inevitable:
:"Disturbing though these developments may be to purists, they're irreversible. And nothing that a grammarian says will change them."
''The Chicago Manual of Style''
In the 14th edition (1993) of ''
The Chicago Manual of Style
''The Chicago Manual of Style'' (abbreviated in writing as ''CMOS'' or ''CMS'', or sometimes as ''Chicago'') is a style guide for American English published since 1906 by the University of Chicago Press. Its 17 editions have prescribed writi ...
'', the University of Chicago Press explicitly recommended using singular ''they'' and ''their'', noting a "revival" of this usage and citing "its venerable use by such writers as Addison, Austen, Chesterfield, Fielding, Ruskin, Scott, and Shakespeare."
From the 15th edition (2003), this was changed. In Chapter 5 of the 17th edition (2017), now written by
Bryan A. Garner, the recommendations are:
The American Heritage Book of English Usage (1996)
According to ''The American Heritage Book of English Usage'' and its usage panel of selected writers, journalism professors, linguists, and other experts, many Americans avoid use of ''they'' to refer to a singular antecedent out of respect for a "traditional" grammatical rule, despite use of singular ''they'' by modern writers of note and mainstream publications:
''Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association''
The 7th edition of the
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...
's ''
Publication Manual'', released in October 2019, advises using singular "they" when gender is unknown or irrelevant, and gives the following example:
APA style also endorses using they/them if it is someone's (for example, a
non-binary
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...
person's) preferred pronoun set.
Strunk & White's ''The Elements of Style''
William Strunk Jr.
William Strunk Jr. (July 1, 1869 – September 26, 1946) was an American professor of English language, English at Cornell University and author of ''The Elements of Style'' (1918). After revision and enlargement by his former student E. B. White, ...
&
E. B. White
Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including ''Stuart Little'' (1945), ''Charlotte's Web'' (1952), and '' The Trumpet of the Swan'' ...
, the original authors of ''
The Elements of Style
''The Elements of Style'' is an American English writing style guide in numerous editions. The original was written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and published by Harcourt in 1920, comprising eight "elementary rules of usage", ten "elementary ...
'', found use of ''they'' with a singular antecedent unacceptable and advised use of the singular pronoun (''he''). In the 3rd edition (1979), the recommendation was still:
The assessment, in 1979, was:
In the 4th edition (2000), use of singular ''they'' was still proscribed against, but use of generic ''he'' was no longer recommended.
Joseph M. Williams's ''The Basics of Clarity and Grace'' (2009)
Joseph M. Williams Joseph M. Williams (18 August 1933, Cleveland, Ohio – 22 February 2008, South Haven, Michigan) was a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago where he promoted clarity in writing for many years. ...
, who wrote a number of books on writing with "
clarity and grace", discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various solutions when faced with the problem of referring to an antecedent such as ''someone'', ''everyone'', ''no one'' or a noun that does not indicate gender and suggests that this will continue to be a problem for some time. He "suspect
that eventually we will accept the plural ''they'' as a correct singular" but states that currently "formal usage requires a singular pronoun".
''The Little, Brown Handbook'' (1992)
According to ''The Little, Brown Handbook'', most experts – and some teachers and employers – find use of singular ''they'' unacceptable:
It recommends using ''he or she'' or avoiding the problem by rewriting the sentence to use a plural or omit the pronoun.
''Purdue Online Writing Lab''
The ''
Purdue Online Writing Lab
An Online Writing Lab (OWL) is often an extension of a university writing center. Online writing labs offer help to students and other writers by providing literacy materials, such as handouts and slide presentations. Writers may also submit ques ...
'' (''OWL'') states that "grammar shifts and changes over time", that the use of singular ''they'' is acceptable, and that singular "they" as a replacement for "he" or "she" is more inclusive:
''The Washington Post''
''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
s stylebook, as of 2015, recommends trying to "write around the problem, perhaps by changing singulars to plurals, before using the singular they as a last resort" and specifically permits use of ''they'' for a "gender-nonconforming person".
''Associated Press Stylebook''
The ''
Associated Press Stylebook
The ''AP Stylebook'', also known by its full name ''The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law'', is an American English grammar style and usage guide created by American journalists working for or connected with the Associated Pr ...
'', as of 2017, recommends: "They/them/their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular and-or gender-neutral pronoun, when alternative wording is overly awkward or clumsy. However, rewording usually is possible and always is preferable."
''The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing''
In ''
The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing
''The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing: For writers, editors, and speakers'' was first published in 1980 by Casey Miller and Kate Swift. It was the second book produced by the two in an effort to raise awareness of issues concerning gender in the ...
'',
Casey Miller
Casey Geddes Miller (February 26, 1919 – January 5, 1997) was an American feminist author and editor best known for promoting the use of non-sexist writing in the English language. With Kate Swift, her business partner and platonic domestic ...
and
Kate Swift
Kate Swift (December 9, 1923 – May 7, 2011) was an American feminist writer and editor who co-wrote (with Casey Miller, her business partner and platonic domestic partner) influential books and articles about sexism in the English language.http: ...
accept or recommend singular uses of ''they'' in cases where there is an element of semantic plurality expressed by a word such as "everyone" or where an indeterminate ''person'' is referred to, citing examples of such usage in formal speech. They also suggest rewriting sentences to use a plural ''they'', eliminating pronouns, or recasting sentences to use "one" or (for babies) "it".
Usage guidance in British style guides
In the first edition of ''
A Dictionary of Modern English Usage
''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' (1926), by Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing. Covering topics such as plurals and literary technique, distinctions among like word ...
'' (published in 1926) use of the generic ''he'' is recommended. It is stated that singular ''they'' is disapproved of by grammarians. Numerous examples of its use by eminent writers in the past are given, but it is stated that "few good modern writers would flout
rammariansso conspicuously as Fielding and Thackeray", whose sentences are described as having an "old-fashioned sound".
The second edition, ''Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (edited by Sir
Ernest Gowers
Sir Ernest Arthur Gowers (2 June 1880 – 16 April 1966) is best remembered for his book '' Plain Words,'' first published in 1948, and his revision of Fowler's classic '' Modern English Usage''. Before making his name as an author, he had a lon ...
and published in 1965) continues to recommend use of the generic ''he''; use of the singular ''they'' is called "the popular solution", which "sets the literary man's teeth on edge". It is stated that singular ''they'' is still disapproved of by grammarians but common in colloquial speech.
According to the third edition, ''The New Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (edited by
Robert Burchfield
Robert William Burchfield CNZM, CBE (27 January 1923 – 5 July 2004) was a lexicographer, scholar, and writer, who edited the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' for thirty years to 1986, and was chief editor from 1971.
Education and career
Born in W ...
and published in 1996) singular ''they'' has not only been widely used by good writers for centuries, but is now generally accepted, except by some conservative grammarians, including the Fowler of 1926, who, it is argued, ignored the evidence:
''
The Complete Plain Words
''The Complete Plain Words'', titled simply ''Plain Words'' in its 2014 revision, is a style guide written by Sir Ernest Gowers, published in 1954. It has never been out of print. It comprises expanded and revised versions of two pamphlets th ...
'' was originally written in 1948 by Ernest Gowers, a civil servant, in an attempt by the British civil service to improve "official English". A second edition, edited by Sir Bruce Fraser, was published in 1973. It refers to ''they'' or ''them'' as the "equivalent of a singular pronoun of common sex" as "common in speech and not unknown in serious writing " but "stigmatized by grammarians as usage grammatically indefensible. The book's advice for "official writers" (civil servants) is to avoid its use and not to be tempted by its "greater convenience", though "necessity may eventually force it into the category of accepted idiom".
A new edition of ''
Plain Words
''The Complete Plain Words'', titled simply ''Plain Words'' in its 2014 revision, is a style guide written by Sir Ernest Gowers, published in 1954. It has never been out of print. It comprises expanded and revised versions of two pamphlets t ...
'', revised and updated by Gowers's great-granddaughter, Rebecca Gowers, was published in 2014.
It notes that singular ''they'' and ''them'' have become much more widespread since Gowers' original comments, but still finds it "safer" to treat a sentence like 'The reader may toss their book aside' as incorrect "in formal English", while rejecting even more strongly sentences like
:"There must be opportunity for the individual boy or girl to go as far as his keenness and ability will take him."
''The Times Style and Usage Guide'' (first published in 2003 by ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' of London) recommends avoiding sentences like
:"If someone loves animals, they should protect them."
by using a plural construction:
:"If people love animals, they should protect them."
''
The Cambridge Guide to English Usage
''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage'' by Pam Peters is a usage dictionary, giving an up-to-date account of the debatable issues of English usage and written style. It is based on extensive, up-to-date corpus data rather than on the author's p ...
'' (2004,
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
) finds singular ''they'' "unremarkable":
It expresses several preferences.
*"Generic/universal ''their'' provides a gender-free pronoun, avoiding the exclusive ''his'' and the clumsy ''his/her''. It avoids gratuitous sexism and gives the statement broadest reference ... ''They'', ''them'', ''their'' are now freely used in agreement with singular indefinite pronouns and determiners, those with universal implications such as any(one), every(one), no(one), as well as each and some(one), whose reference is often more individual ..."
''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
Style Guide'' refers to the use of ''they'' in sentences like
:"We can't afford to squander anyone's talents, whatever colour their skin is."
as "scrambled syntax that people adopt because they cannot bring themselves to use a singular pronoun".
''
New Hart's Rules
''Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford''—today published under the short title ''New Hart's Rules''—is an authoritative reference book and style guide published in England by Oxford University Press (OU ...
'' (
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2012) is aimed at those engaged in copy editing, and the emphasis is on the formal elements of presentation including punctuation and typeface, rather than on linguistic style, although – like ''The Chicago Manual of Style'' – it makes occasional forays into matters of usage. It advises against use of the purportedly gender-neutral ''he'', and suggests cautious use of ''they'' where ''he or she'' presents problems.
The 2011 edition of the ''
New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
'' uses singular ''they'' instead of the traditional ''he'' when translating pronouns that apply to both genders in the original Greek or Hebrew. This decision was based on research by a commission that studied modern English usage and determined that singular ''they'' (''them''/''their'') was by far the most common way that English-language speakers and writers today refer back to singular antecedents such as ''whoever'', ''anyone'', ''somebody'', ''a person'', ''no one'', and the like."
The British edition of ''
The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing
''The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing: For writers, editors, and speakers'' was first published in 1980 by Casey Miller and Kate Swift. It was the second book produced by the two in an effort to raise awareness of issues concerning gender in the ...
'', modified in some respects from the original US edition to conform to differences in culture and vocabulary, preserved the same recommendations, allowing singular ''they'' with semantically plural terms like "everyone" and indeterminate ones like "person", but recommending a rewrite to avoid.
Australian usage guidance
The Australian ''Federation Press Style Guide for Use in Preparation of Book Manuscripts'' recommends "gender-neutral language should be used", stating that use of ''they'' and ''their'' as singular pronouns is acceptable.
Usage guidance in English grammars
According to ''
A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language
''A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language'' is a descriptive grammar of English written by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik. It was first published by Longman in 1985.
In 1991 it was called "The greate ...
'' (1985):
''
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language
''The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language'' (''CGEL'') is a descriptive grammar of the English language. Its primary authors are Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum. Huddleston was the only author to work on every chapter. It was publ ...
'' discusses the prescriptivist argument that ''they'' is a plural pronoun and that the use of ''they'' with a singular "antecedent" therefore violates the rule of agreement between antecedent and pronoun, but takes the view that ''they'', though ''primarily'' plural, can also be singular in a secondary ''extended'' sense, comparable to the purportedly extended sense of ''he'' to include female gender.
Use of singular ''they'' is stated to be "particularly common", even "stylistically neutral" with antecedents such as ''everyone'', ''someone'', and ''no one'', but more restricted when referring to common nouns as antecedents, as in
:"''The patient'' should be told at the outset how much ''they'' will be required to pay."
:"''A friend of mine'' has asked me to go over and help ''them'' ..."
Use of the pronoun ''themself'' is described as being "rare" and "acceptable only to a minority of speakers", while use of the morphologically plural ''themselves'' is considered problematic when referring to ''someone'' rather than ''everyone'' (since only the latter implies a plural set).
There are also issues of grammatical acceptability when reflexive pronouns refer to singular noun phrases joined by ''or'', the following all being problematic:
:"Either the husband or the wife has perjured ''himself''."
ngrammatical:"Either the husband or the wife has perjured ''themselves''."
f questionable grammaticality:"Either the husband or the wife has perjured ''themself''."
ypically used by only some speakers of Standard English
On the motivation for using singular ''they'', ''A Student's Introduction to English Grammar'' states:
The alternative ''he or she'' can be "far too cumbersome", as in:
:"''Everyone'' agreed that he or she would bring his or her lunch with ''him or her''.
or even "flatly ungrammatical", as in
:"''Everyone's'' here, isn't ''he or she''?
"Among younger speakers", use of singular ''they'' even with definite noun-phrase antecedents finds increasing acceptance, "sidestepping any presumption about the sex of the person referred to", as in:
:"You should ask ''your partner'' what ''they'' think."
:"''The person'' I was with said ''they'' hated the film." Example given by Huddleston et al.
Grammatical and logical analysis
Notional agreement
''Notional agreement'' is the idea that some uses of ''they'' might refer to a grammatically singular antecedent seen as semantically plural:
:Tis meet that some more audience than ''a mother'', since nature makes ''them'' partial, should o'erhear the speech." —Shakespeare, ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' (1599); quoted in ''Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage''.
:"''No man'' goes to battle to be killed." ... "But ''they'' do get killed." —
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
, quoted in ''Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage''
According to ''notional agreement'', in the Shakespeare quotation ''a mother'' is syntactically singular, but stands for all mothers; and in the Shaw quotation ''no man'' is syntactically singular (taking the singular form ''goes''), but is semantically plural (''all'' go
o killnot to be killed), hence idiomatically requiring ''they''. Such use, which goes back a long way, includes examples where the sex is known, as in the above examples.
Distribution
Distributive constructions apply a ''single'' idea to ''multiple'' members of a group.
They are typically marked in English by words like ''each'', ''every'' and ''any''. The simplest examples are applied to groups of two, and use words like ''either'' and ''or'' – "Would you like tea or coffee?". Since distributive constructions apply an idea relevant to each individual in the group, rather than to the group as a whole, they are most often conceived of as singular, and a singular pronoun is used:
:"
England expects that every man will do his duty
"England expects that every man will do his duty" was a signal sent by Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson from his flagship as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805.
During the batt ...
." —
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
(1805, referring to a fleet crewed by male sailors)
:"Every dog hath his day." —
John Ray
John Ray FRS (29 November 1627 – 17 January 1705) was a Christian English naturalist widely regarded as one of the earliest of the English parson-naturalists. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after ...
, ''A Collection of English Proverbs'' (1670), originally from
Plutarch
Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...
, ''Moralia'', c. 95 AD, regarding the death of
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...
.
However, many languages, including English, show ambivalence in this regard. Because distribution also requires a group with more than one member, plural forms are sometimes used.
Referential and non-referential anaphors
The singular ''they'', which uses the same verb form that plurals do, is typically used to refer to an indeterminate antecedent, for example:
:"The ''person'' you mentioned, are ''they'' coming?"
In some sentences, typically those including words like ''every'' or ''any'', the morphologically singular antecedent does not refer to a single entity but is "
anaphorically linked" to the associated pronoun to indicate a set of pairwise relationships, as in the sentence:
:"''Everyone'' returned to ''their'' seats." (where each person is associated with one seat)
Linguists like
Steven Pinker
Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18, 1954) is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist, popular science author, and public intellectual. He is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.
P ...
and
Rodney Huddleston
Rodney D. Huddleston (born 4 April 1937) is a British linguist and grammarian specializing in the study and description of English.
Huddleston is the primary author of '' The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language'' (), which presents a com ...
explain sentences like this (and others) in terms of
bound variables
In mathematics, and in other disciplines involving formal languages, including mathematical logic and computer science, a free variable is a notation (symbol) that specifies places in an expression where substitution may take place and is not ...
, a term borrowed from
logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...
. Pinker prefers the terms ''quantifier'' and ''bound variable'' to ''antecedent'' and '' pronoun''. He suggests that pronouns used as "variables" in this way are more appropriately regarded as
homonym
In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones (equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definition, ...
s of the equivalent referential pronouns.
The following shows different types of anaphoric reference, using various pronouns, including ''they'':
*Coreferential, with a definite antecedent (the antecedent and the anaphoric pronoun both refer to the same real-world entity):
::"Your ''wife'' phoned but ''she'' didn't leave a message."
*Coreferential with an indefinite antecedent:
::"One of your ''girlfriends'' phoned, but ''she'' didn't leave a message."
::"One of your ''boyfriends'' phoned, but ''he'' didn't leave a message."
::"One of your ''friends'' phoned, but ''they'' didn't leave a message."
*Reference to a hypothetical, indefinite entity
::"If you had an unemployed ''daughter'', what would you think if ''she'' wanted to accept work as a mercenary?"
::"If you had an unemployed ''child'', what would you think if ''they'' wanted to accept work as a mercenary?"
*A bound variable pronoun is anaphorically linked to a quantifier (no single real-world or hypothetical entity is referenced; examples and explanations from Huddleston and Pullum, ''The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language''):
::"''No one'' put ''their'' hand up."
pproximately: "There is no person ''x'' such that ''x'' put ''x''s hand up."::"''Every car'' had ''its'' windscreen broken."
pproximately: "For every car ''x'', ''x'' had ''x''s windscreen broken."
Cognitive efficiency
A study of whether "singular ''they''" is more "difficult" to understand than gendered pronouns ("In Search of Gender Neutrality: Is Singular ''They'' a Cognitively Efficient Substitute for Generic ''He''?" by Foertsch and Gernsbacher) found that "singular ''they'' is a cognitively efficient substitute for generic ''he'' or ''she'', particularly when the antecedent is nonreferential" (e.g. ''anybody'', ''a nurse'', or ''a truck driver'') rather than referring to a specific person (e.g. ''a runner I knew'' or ''my nurse''). Clauses with singular ''they'' were read "just as quickly as clauses containing a gendered pronoun that matched the stereotype of the antecedent" (e.g. ''she'' for a nurse and ''he'' for a truck driver) and "much more quickly than clauses containing a gendered pronoun that went against the gender stereotype of the antecedent".
On the other hand, when the pronoun ''they'' was used to refer to known individuals ("referential antecedents, for which the gender was presumably known", e.g. ''my nurse'', ''that truck driver'', ''a runner I knew''), reading was slowed when compared with use of a gendered pronoun consistent with the "stereotypic gender" (e.g. ''he'' for a specific truck driver).
The study concluded that "the increased use of singular ''they'' is not problematic for the majority of readers".
Comparison with other pronouns
The singular and plural use of ''they'' can be compared with the pronoun ''you'', which had been both a plural and
polite singular, but by about 1700 replaced ''thou'' for singular referents. For "you", the singular
reflexive pronoun
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to another noun or pronoun (its antecedent) within the same sentence.
In the English language specifically, a reflexive pronoun will end in ''-self'' or ''-selves'', and refer to a previously n ...
("
yourself") is different from its plural reflexive pronoun ("
yourselves"); with "they" one can hear either "
themself" or "
themselves
Themselves, previously known as Them, is an American hip hop duo based in Oakland, California. It consists of Doseone and Jel. They are also part of Subtle and 13 & God. The duo's first studio album, '' Them'', was included on '' Fact''s "100 ...
" for the singular reflexive pronoun.
Singular "they" has also been compared to
nosism (such as the "
royal we
The royal ''we'', majestic plural (), or royal plural, is the use of a plural pronoun (or corresponding plural-inflected verb forms) used by a single person who is a monarch or holds a high office to refer to themselves. A more general term fo ...
"), when a single person uses first-person plural in place of first-person singular pronouns. Similar to singular "you", its singular reflexive pronoun ("
ourself
The English personal pronouns are a subset of English pronouns taking various forms according to number, person, case and natural gender. Modern English has very little inflection of nouns or adjectives, to the point where some authors describ ...
") is different from the plural reflexive pronoun ("
ourselves").
While the pronoun set derived from ''it'' is primarily used for inanimate objects, ''it'' is frequently used in an impersonal context when someone's identity is unknown or established on a provisional basis, e.g. "Who is ''it''?" or "With this new haircut, no one knows ''it'' is me." ''It'' is also used for infants of unspecified gender but may be considered dehumanizing and is therefore more likely in a clinical context. Otherwise, in more personal contexts, the use of ''it'' to refer to a person might indicate antipathy or other negative emotions.
''It'' can also be used for non-human animals of unspecified sex, though ''they'' is common for pets and other domesticated animals of unspecified sex, especially when referred to by a proper name (e.g. ''Rags'', ''Snuggles''). Normally, birds and mammals with a known sex are referred to by their respective male or female pronoun (''he'' and ''she''; ''him'' and ''her'').
It is uncommon to use singular ''they'' instead of ''it'' for something other than a life form.
See also
*
English personal pronouns
The English personal pronouns are a subset of English pronouns taking various forms according to grammatical number, number, grammatical person, person, grammatical case, case and natural gender. Modern English has very little inflection of nouns ...
*
Gender neutrality in English
Gender-neutral language is language that minimizes assumptions about the social gender or biological sex of people referred to in speech or writing. In contrast to most other Indo-European languages, English does not retain grammatical gender and ...
*
Notional agreement
*
Spivak pronoun
The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns in English promulgated on the virtual community ''LambdaMOO'' based on pronouns used in a book by American mathematician Michael Spivak. Though not in widespread use, they have been employed ...
*
Third-person pronoun#Historical, regional, and proposed gender-neutral singular pronouns
*
Neopronoun
Neopronouns are a category of neologistic English Third person (grammar), third-person personal pronouns beyond "he (pronoun), he", "she (pronoun), she", "singular they, they", "one (pronoun), one", and "it (pronoun), it". Neopronouns are preferr ...
Notes
References
Sources
Sources of original examples
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*; quoted in ''Reader's Digest'', 1983, as an example of its awkwardness when referring to both sexes.
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* As quoted by Miller and Swift.
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*. N.B.: This is not the English usage authority Henry Watson Fowler.
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Further reading
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Amia Srinivasan
Amia Srinivasan (born 20 December 1984) is a philosopher. Since January 2020, she has been Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at the University of Oxford.
Early life and education
Srinivasan was born on 20 December 1984 in Bahra ...
, "He, She, One, They, Ho, Hus, Hum, Ita" (review of Dennis Baron, ''What's Your Pronoun? Beyond He and She'', Liveright, 2020, , 304 pp.), ''
London Review of Books
The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of ...
'', vol. 42, no. 13 (2 July 2020), pp. 34–39. Prof. Srinivasan writes (p. 39): "People use non-standard
pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (abbreviated ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase.
Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the parts of speech, but some modern theorists would not co ...
s, or use pronouns in non-standard ways, for various reasons: to accord with their sense of themselves, to make their passage through the world less painful, to prefigure and hasten the arrival of a world in which divisions of sex no longer matter. So too we can choose to respect people's pronouns for many reasons."
External links
Anyone who had a heart (would know their own language) by Geoff Pullum. Transcript of a radio talk.
A brief history of singular ‘they’(OED blog, Dennis Baron)
{{English gender-neutral pronouns
English usage controversies
Grammatical number
Modern English personal pronouns