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> "They are going to the store" should be fine. Indeed, but the miscommunication here is implied plural. "They are ..." Who is going (expecting 2 or more)? I
by crankylinuxuser 8y ago
> "They are going to the store" should be fine.
Indeed, but the miscommunication here is implied plural. "They are ..." Who is going (expecting 2 or more)?
I don't care that we use a gender neutral pronoun. Just using an existing word makes understanding hard.
- beaconstudios 8y agoin most cases the plurality/singularity of the subject will be obvious from the surrounding context.
- anthony_romeo 8y agoTo be fair, “you” used to be plural, with “thou” used for second person singular. But the sort of “Royal We” honorifics of the past kinda muddied it’s usage and “you” eventually became singular and plural. So there precedent for this sort of thing
- Firadeoclus 8y ago"You are going to the store" - exactly the same ambiguity, resolved by context.
- mcphage 8y ago> Just using an existing word makes understanding hard. We've somehow figured it out for several hundred years, I think we'll be fine.