Singular general-neutral "they" has been indeed been around for centuries, but my impression is that its use to refer to specific, named, individuals is novel (

Singular general-neutral "they" has been indeed been around for centuries, but my impression is that its use to refer to specific, named, individuals is novel (e.g. "Please ask Bob what they want for lunch", meaning what Bob the individual wants for lunch). I will admit it feels a little cumbersome to me, but I'll deal. It's a logical way for English to evolve, and fills some genuine needs in the language. And as with "you", I suspect that if "they"'s use as a gender-neutral pronoun expands, "they all" will soon emerge as an (unofficial?) replacement for the plural.