It’s Time to Embrace Unique “they”
Grammatical snobs might shudder at the idea, but it’s time to normalize the use of them as singular pronouns. This is 2021; no more “he or she, him or her” things.
It makes perfect sense to use gender-neutral pronouns in everyday conversation – both written and spoken – and as it turns out, it even has perfect grammatical meaning. While the use of these words as plural pronouns is a hard-won trait, you will not challenge traditional grammatical conventions if you decide to change this rule.
However, you may have to endure the righteous hand-wringing of some grammarians who insist that you are committing a terrible tactlessness. The only thing is that they are wrong.
They have been the singular pronoun for 600 years.
From the moment we begin to speak English, we are taught that the word ” they” is intended solely to describe the plural difference. This makes no sense. The oldest written singular, they appeared in the 14th century, when it was used in the medieval novel William and the Werewolf.
But, according to the Oxford English Dictionary , their unique roots may go even further.
Since forms may have existed in speech long before they were written, it is likely that they were prevalent in the singular even before the end of the fourteenth century. This makes the old shape even older.
They are meant to exist as a singular pronoun intended to refer to any person on the gender spectrum for about 600 years – there should be sufficient evidence that this is not an attempt to force a change in the rules. In fact, they have plenty of examples of the only one throughout the history of literature.
As the BBC noted in 2019 :
Examples of using the singular “they” to describe someone are found as early as 1386 in Jeffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, as well as in famous literary works such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet in 1599.
“They” and “they” were still used by literary writers to describe people in the 17th century, including Jane Austen in her 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice.
There are even more examples, Purdue University explains , spanning the range from Wycliffe’s 1382 Bible translation to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing , in which Bard writes:
“To strange ulcers, in a strange way they strain the medicine.”
The grammar is constantly evolving
You may suffocate, but it remains true that the only constant in grammar and language is change. For example, the word ” you” , which is almost universally accepted today as a singular number, has evolved from a much more mobile form, where it has been easily applied as a plural for many years.
As Oxford explains:
You have acted as the polite singular for centuries, but in the seventeenth century the singular replaced you, you, and yours, with the exception of some dialectal usages. This change has met with some resistance. In 1660, George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, wrote an entire book in which anyone who uses the word in the singular is called an idiot or a fool. And eighteenth-century grammars like Robert Lowte and Lindley Murray regularly tested students for you as the singular, you as the plural, even though students used you in the singular when their teachers weren’t looking and the teachers used you in the singular. including when their students were not looking for.
The use of the word ” you” has evolved, meaning the current reorientation of pronouns in 2021 is normal. You may find yourself challenging certain style and grammar guides, but it’s good to keep in mind that vocabulary for the most part never stops changing.
Purdue University makes this clear:
Grammar shifts and changes over time; for example, he or she is clumsy, replaced them in the singular, in fact, are fairly recent introduction to the language. Singular they are used for a long time and are used in most casual situations; you are probably doing it yourself without realizing it. We’re just seeing a reorientation of the rule, mostly with the intention of getting more people to use the language.
It’s also more inclusive
All of this means that using non-gender pronouns is more inclusive, and it really shouldn’t be that much of an issue. More formal announcements made for groups can really benefit from this kind of thing. For example, when you make an announcement like “employees should keep personal items in their locker,” just say “their locker”. Or, when saying “the owner of a Blue Honda Civic needs to move his car,” just say “his car.”
Apart from accounting for a growing cohort of people who do not adhere to the traditional gender paradigm, this sounds much better. And, oh yeah, it’s grammatically correct too.