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I grew up in the US, and I still think that singular "they" is weird. I remember thinking that it was weird in grade school, and wishing that there was a better
by pyre 11y ago
I grew up in the US, and I still think that singular "they" is weird. I remember thinking that it was weird in grade school, and wishing that there was a better gender-neutral pronoun.
Part of the problem with it being used in singular and plural context is that it's possible to use it in an ambiguous way where the ambiguity comes from the lack of enough context to differentiate between plural or singular. Separate words would remove this.
- dang 11y agoIt's weird in theory but not in practice. Listen closely and you'll find that every every English speaker uses it without thinking.
- 01019109 11y agoEnglish speakers also use "reach out to someone" for "contact someone", which sounds amazingly pompous for non-native speakers.
- dang 11y agoThat's just an idiom. Every language has lots. Though admittedly it's a corporate idiom that has passed its best-before date. Kind of like "folks".