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Singular they: Difference between revisions
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The grammarian A. Knutson notes in his 1905 book ''The Gender of Words Denoting Living Beings in English, and the Different Ways of Expressing Difference in Sex'' the use of the singular they as a gender neutral term, pulling a quote from a magazine of the time:<blockquote>The privilege of addressing the sovereign when he or she came to dine... after ''their'' coronation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/genderofwordsden00knutrich|title=The Gender of Words Denoting Living Beings in English, and the Different Ways of Expressing Difference in Sex|last=Knutson|first=A.|publisher=Håkan Ohlsson|others=|year=1905|location=Lund|pages=3-4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925133935/http://www.archive.org/details/genderofwordsden00knutrich|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref></blockquote>Singular "they" gets a surprising number of complaints, considering people use it all the time for people whose gender is unknown. However, there are a lot of arguments that it's correct. [http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/singular-they-and-the-many-reasons-why-its-correct/ This article on Motivated Grammar] goes through a few reasons, including the fact that it's consistently been in use since Chaucer's time, around 1400. Most people are familiar with how singular "they" works, as plenty of people use it all the time without really thinking about it. | The grammarian A. Knutson notes in his 1905 book ''The Gender of Words Denoting Living Beings in English, and the Different Ways of Expressing Difference in Sex'' the use of the singular they as a gender neutral term, pulling a quote from a magazine of the time:<blockquote>The privilege of addressing the sovereign when he or she came to dine... after ''their'' coronation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/genderofwordsden00knutrich|title=The Gender of Words Denoting Living Beings in English, and the Different Ways of Expressing Difference in Sex|last=Knutson|first=A.|publisher=Håkan Ohlsson|others=|year=1905|location=Lund|pages=3-4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925133935/http://www.archive.org/details/genderofwordsden00knutrich|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref></blockquote>Singular "they" gets a surprising number of complaints, considering people use it all the time for people whose gender is unknown. However, there are a lot of arguments that it's correct. [http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/singular-they-and-the-many-reasons-why-its-correct/ This article on Motivated Grammar] goes through a few reasons, including the fact that it's consistently been in use since Chaucer's time, around 1400. Most people are familiar with how singular "they" works, as plenty of people use it all the time without really thinking about it. | ||
A most comprehensive article about the history of singular "they" is Henry Churchyard's web-page, [http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html Singular 'Their' in Jane Austen and Elsewhere]. | A most comprehensive article about the history of singular "they" is Henry Churchyard's web-page, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090430053036/http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html Singular 'Their' in Jane Austen and Elsewhere]. | ||
Many official writing style guides and dictionaries approve the usage of singular "they" (for both "generic person" use and for writing about nonbinary people), including the MLA, the APA, and Merriam-Webster's.<ref name="MLA">{{Cite web |title=How do I use singular ''they?'' |author= |work=The MLA Style Center |date= |access-date=8 February 2021 |url= https://style.mla.org/using-singular-they/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404204748/http://style.mla.org/using-singular-they |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref><ref name="APA">{{Cite web |title=Singular "they" |author= |work=APA Style |date=September 2019 |access-date=8 February 2021 |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/singular-they|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305192901/https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/singular-they |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref> | Many official writing style guides and dictionaries approve the usage of singular "they" (for both "generic person" use and for writing about nonbinary people), including the MLA, the APA, and Merriam-Webster's.<ref name="MLA">{{Cite web |title=How do I use singular ''they?'' |author= |work=The MLA Style Center |date= |access-date=8 February 2021 |url= https://style.mla.org/using-singular-they/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404204748/http://style.mla.org/using-singular-they |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref><ref name="APA">{{Cite web |title=Singular "they" |author= |work=APA Style |date=September 2019 |access-date=8 February 2021 |url= https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/singular-they|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305192901/https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/singular-they |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</ref> | ||
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* '''Reflexive''': Each child feeds ''themself''. Or: each child feeds ''theirself''. Or: each child feeds ''theirselves''. Or: each child feeds ''themselves''. (See below for information on how this form's standard use varies by dialect.) | * '''Reflexive''': Each child feeds ''themself''. Or: each child feeds ''theirself''. Or: each child feeds ''theirselves''. Or: each child feeds ''themselves''. (See below for information on how this form's standard use varies by dialect.) | ||
'''On Pronoun Island''': http://pronoun.is/they | '''On Pronoun Island''': https://web.archive.org/web/20170802203934/http://pronoun.is/they | ||
'''On Pronouny''': http://pronouny.xyz/pronouns/593c1223975dfa1000d4ec86 | '''On Pronouny''': http://pronouny.xyz/pronouns/593c1223975dfa1000d4ec86 | ||
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== External links == | == External links == | ||
* [http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html Singular 'Their' in Jane Austen and Elsewhere] | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090430053036/http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html Singular 'Their' in Jane Austen and Elsewhere] | ||
* [http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/singular-they-and-the-many-reasons-why-its-correct/ Motivated Grammar: Singular they and the many reasons why it's correct] | * [http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/singular-they-and-the-many-reasons-why-its-correct/ Motivated Grammar: Singular they and the many reasons why it's correct] | ||
* [http://www.pronouns.failedslacker.com/?subjective=they&object=them&possDet=their&possPro=theirs&reflexive=themself&name=Ash&person=wanderer&plural=on Examples of use in Pronoun Dressing Room]. You can try different variations on the pronouns, such as the variant reflexive forms, and see how they can work in sentences excerpted from classic fiction. | * [http://www.pronouns.failedslacker.com/?subjective=they&object=them&possDet=their&possPro=theirs&reflexive=themself&name=Ash&person=wanderer&plural=on Examples of use in Pronoun Dressing Room]. You can try different variations on the pronouns, such as the variant reflexive forms, and see how they can work in sentences excerpted from classic fiction. | ||