{"id":7778,"date":"2017-05-31T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T04:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/?p=7778"},"modified":"2018-09-12T19:27:32","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T13:57:32","slug":"the-singular-they-controversial-or-acceptable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/the-singular-they-controversial-or-acceptable\/","title":{"rendered":"The Singular \u201cThey\u201d: Controversial or Acceptable?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Changes in social perceptions can lead to changes in language and grammar, and perhaps nowhere has this been seen as clearly as with the usage of pronouns. While at one time he<\/em> used to mean people<\/em> (men and women) in general, this has changed, and the task of writing without gender bias has become more complicated. Social awareness has increased towards transgender identity and the terms used for gender identity; therefore, the pronouns that writers must use have seen changes as well.<\/p>\n

The Classic \u201cThey\u201d<\/h2>\n

Grammarians point to the historic use of they<\/em> as a singular pronoun, where the term means one person rather than a group of people.\u00a0 This use is found in the King James Bible\u2014\u201cIn lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves\u201d (Philippians 2:3)\u2014and in the writing of Shakespeare (\u201cGod send everyone their heart’s desire\u201d).\u00a0Those who wrote and spoke English in the 18th<\/sup> century often used they<\/em> or them<\/em> as singular pronouns.<\/p>\n

The Universal \u201cHe\u201d<\/h2>\n

Following this period, writers balked at the usage of a plural pronoun for a single person. The writing communities of Europe and the United States used the \u201cmasculine generic\u201d\u2014that is,\u00a0 he<\/em> refers to a person of either gender. The sentence \u201cEvery doctor must focus on the field of medicine he<\/em> has chosen\u201d would be considered acceptable. Most readers, especially prior to the 18th<\/sup> century, would assume that the physician referred to was male.<\/p>\n

Contemporary Style<\/h2>\n

Writers who consult the 16th<\/sup> edition of The Chicago Manual of Style<\/em> will find that the singular they<\/em>\u00a0is discouraged. At CMS 5.46, it reads the following:<\/p>\n

Because he<\/em> is no longer accepted as a generic pronoun referring to a person of either sex, it has become common in speech and in informal writing to substitute the third-person plural pronouns they, them, their<\/em>, and themselves<\/em>, and the nonstandard singular themselves<\/em>. (The Chicago Manual of Style<\/em>, 2010)<\/p>\n

But is they<\/em> allowed? The passage continues, \u201cWhile this usage is accepted in casual contexts, it is still considered ungrammatical in formal writing.\u201d Similarly, the APA style does not encourage the usage of the singular they<\/em> either and proposes alternatives, i.e., recast the sentence, substitute \u201che or she,\u201d or delete the pronoun altogether. However, at the same time, informal English is embracing they<\/em>. In casual conversation, we may hear \u201ca parent wants the best care for their child\u201d or \u201cno one applauded for a song they didn\u2019t like.\u201d Thus, writing seems to be following suit.<\/p>\n

Bias-Free Options<\/h3>\n

One controversial aspect of using he<\/em> in formal writing is that it seems to show bias. Writers who insist using a gender-specific pronoun can avoid prejudice by using the pronouns alternatively. He<\/em> and she<\/em> can be used as needed, alternating by chapter or by paragraph. The truncated s\/he<\/em> is still sometimes seen, but its use seems to be decreasing.<\/p>\n

Innovative Alternatives<\/h3>\n

Some have tried to resolve the gender bias issue by inventing new pronouns. Dennis Baron, professor of English and linguistics at the University of Illinois and the author of The Epicene Pronoun: The Word That Failed<\/em>, came up with a number of alternatives such as \u201cthon,\u201d \u201cle,\u201d \u201cip,\u201d \u201czi\u201d and \u201chiser,\u201d but none of these has seen widespread popularity.<\/p>\n

Is They<\/em> Gaining Acceptance?<\/h2>\n

While individual writers may still argue over a plural term being used for the singular, writing collectives have moved forward. At a meeting of the American Dialect Society, a number of linguists declared the singular \u201cthey\u201d as the Word of the Year. So, what is likely to win? The answer is Simplicity. They\u00a0<\/em>is shorter (one syllable), faster, and tidier than he or she<\/em> or s\/he.<\/em> Also, it is now gaining acceptance in everyday conversation and informal writing. So, the chances are that it is here to stay.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Balhorn, Mark (2004) \u201cThe Rise of Epicene They.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Retrieved from http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0075424204265824.<\/li>\n
  2. Guo, Jeff (2016) \u201cSorry, Grammar Nerds: The Singular \u201cThey\u201d Has Been Declared Word of the Year.\u201d<\/em> Retrieved from https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2016\/01\/08\/donald-trump-may-win-this-years-word-of-the-year\/?utm_term=.ad0f8d4c726b<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. Lee, Chelsea (2015) \u201cThe Use of Singular \u201cThey\u201d in APA Style.\u201d<\/em> Retrieved from http:\/\/blog.apastyle.org\/apastyle\/2015\/11\/the-use-of-singular-they-in-apa-style.html<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  4. University of Chicago Press (2010)\u00a0The Chicago Manual of Style<\/em>. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.<\/li>\n
  5. Yagoda, Ben (2007) \u201cThe Inevitable Epicene Solution.\u201d<\/em> Retrieved from http:\/\/articles.latimes.com\/2007\/feb\/19\/opinion\/oe-yagoda19<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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    Changes in social perceptions can lead to changes in language and grammar, and perhaps nowhere…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2],"tags":[1430],"ppma_author":[1894],"class_list":["post-7778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-grammar","category-academic-writing","tag-using-pronouns-effectively"],"better_featured_image":{"id":7794,"alt_text":"Pronoun","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":930,"height":300,"hwstring_small":"height='41' 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