# Will "they/their/they're" eventually become an acceptable gender-neutral singular word? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832 "2013-12-20T17:45:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832/21 "2013-12-20T23:07:47Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > And “he” is masculine. You can say “Oh, but ‘he’ is gender neutral!” all you want, but it’s not. It’s masculine. > > Given a choice between wrong gender and wrong number, I prefer the latter. Etymology police here. Actually the word “man” was originally gender neutral and only became associated with the male gender because “woman” was gender-specific. The corresponding “he” evolved to be gender specific as well. The word “woman” basically means “wife (girl) man.” In the 60s the gender neutral “he” got reinterpreted (understandably) to assume male gender unless otherwise specified. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832/22 "2013-12-20T23:59:37Z")
Mods, honestly, can we make this a sticky, please? [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=705536) [are](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=694740) [a](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=654982) [few](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=392679) [other](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=277550) [threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=196889) [about](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=707959) [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=637280) [exact](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=634066) [topic](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=473297) [on](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=119054) the SDMB. The argument has popped up tangentially in other threads as well. The most recent was barely a month ago. [Here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/750/is-there-a-gender-neutral-substitute-for-his-or-her) is our great and most knowledgeable master’s take on the “issue.” > [@Cecil Adams](#): > > …singular “they” was in wide use by distinguished writers of English prior to the attacks of 19th-century grammarians, and its use in speech has persisted to the present day. And [here](http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/they.html) is what “[Common Errors in English Usage](http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html)” has to say about this topic: [QUOTE=Common Errors in English Usage] Using the plural pronoun to refer to a single person of unspecified gender is an old and honorable pattern in English, not a newfangled bit of degeneracy or a politically correct plot to avoid sexism (though it often serves the latter purpose). People who insist that “Everyone has brought his own lunch” is the only correct form do not reflect the usage of centuries of fine writers. [/quote] It’s deemed acceptable by [Merriam Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/they). > [@Merriam Webster](#): > > The indefinite they is used in all varieties of contexts and is standard. It’s deemed acceptable by the [Oxford English Dictionary](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/he-or-she-versus-they). > [@Oxford Dictionaries Online](#): > > You can use the plural pronouns ‘they’, ‘them’, ‘their’ etc., despite the fact that, technically, they are referring back to a singular noun… > Some people object to the use of plural pronouns in this type of situation on the grounds that it’s ungrammatical. In fact, the use of plural pronouns to refer back to a singular subject isn’t new: it represents a revival of a practice dating from the 16th century. It’s increasingly common in current English and is now widely accepted both in speech and in writing. Actually, it’s been common practice in English [since at least 1400](http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/singular-they-and-the-many-reasons-why-its-correct/). > [@Chaucer](#): > > “And whoso fyndeth hym out of swich blame, > They wol come up […]“ Want more cites? [Here’s one](http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2013/05/10/singular-they-a-footnote/) from an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Here’s [one more](http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html). Sure, [here’s another](http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2011/10/17/they-and-the-gender-neutral-pronoun-dilemma/). And just for fun, here’s the [inimitable Emily Brewster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/0033-hisher.htm). This issue is as settled as anyone can reasonably expect an English language usage question to be settled. Those of you still opposed to this usage? I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re wrong, and you’ve lost. It was never a battle worth fighting, because singular they has a long history, reflects actual usage, and just makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832/23 "2013-12-21T01:52:09Z")
Oxford is wrong, too. So there. I use the term “political correct” only with a subject or opinion I disagree with. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832/24 "2013-12-21T02:02:13Z")
It’s a good solution to a real problem and I will go on using it. As for the OP, I think the answer is that it already has caught on. We had a student who was heading towards a sex-change operation and insisted that the only acceptable personal pronoun was “they”. It made “them” happy; why should I complain. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832/25 "2013-12-21T03:00:40Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Oxford is wrong, too. So there. Maybe you should try writing a dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832/26 "2013-12-21T03:34:01Z")
All the words have been used up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-they-their-theyre-eventually-become-an-acceptable-gender-neutral-singular-word/676832.md?page=1)