[New Post] Grammar Hammer: The Singular Resurgence of Singular Pronoun They

 

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Grammar Hammer: The Singular Resurgence of Singular Pronoun They Catherine Spicer One of the most interesting things to me is how language is constantly evolving. Each year, there are new words added to the dictionary. Style guides are updated and once-sacred rules are softened or even eliminated (does anyone remember the big argument over "e-mail" vs. "email"?). The American Dialect Society recently voted for the gender-neutral singular pronoun “they” as its Word of the Year. Similarly, The Washington Post adopted singular “they” into its style guide, as did The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Dictionary.com all within the past year. Trying to figure out what pronoun to use in each situation isn't exactly a new grammatical question. As early as 1794, "they" as a singular pronoun was suggested as a way to identify a singular entity without it being tied to gender. I find it comforting to know that grammarians and writers have been discussing this issue for over 200 years. It makes me feel like I'm not the only one to wonder which word I should be using in the proper context. Consider the following sentences: “Someone left ___ coffee mug in the office cafeteria. Would ___ please collect it?” Which pronouns do you first think of to fill in the blanks? His/He? Her/She? Their/They? Saying "Someone left his coffee mug in the office cafeteria.” or “Would she please collect it?" could be misleading. In certain sentences, “his” or “her” could even be a bit patronizing. The singular version of "they" not only creates an economy of speech (using fewer words to communicate something everyone will understand), it also reflects what's acceptable in common language. It eliminates the need to address a specific gender identity especially when gender identity is irrelevant to the sentence. One remaining question is whether the acceptance of singular “they” will have an impact on other gender-neutral terms. There are many articles out there discussing the adoption of pronouns like "hen" and "ze." Will singular “they” help usher them into widespread use? What ultimately ends up in future style guides is something this Grammar Hammer will be watching. In the meantime, download PR Newswire's Buyer 2.0 Content Strategy Checklist for more of today’s writing dos and don'ts. Author Catherine Spicer is a manager of customer content services with more than 20 years' experience counseling brands on their content. She also authors Beyond PR's long-running Grammar Hammer series. Follow Cathy on Twitter @cathyspicer and tweet her your #grammargripes.

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