4 ms·
It's a response to the use of "he" as the default pronoun. "he" is gendered and basically everywhere, which means that many people consider its use sexist. Thei
by trobertson 7y ago
It's a response to the use of "he" as the default pronoun. "he" is gendered and basically everywhere, which means that many people consider its use sexist. Their response is to use "she" in an effort to swing the gendered-pronoun usage towards 50/50. Other people choose to use the gender-neutral "they", which gives grammar-focused people an mild aneurysm.
- _s 7y agoIs that because “they” refers generally to a plural? I’ve started using it to refer to singular people as a neutral reference but haven’t had anyone attempt to correct it.
- linuxftw 7y agoIt is acceptable to use 'they' as singular when referring to 'a person.' Works: "When a person reads, they learn" Doesn't work: "When Jim reads, they learn" It also works for other non-proper nouns like "When a knight enters the room, they kneel". I think this is mostly an artifact of implying "When knights enter the room, they kneel." I feel like this also works: "When the author wrote x, they were really saying y". I'm sure there's some explanation for it, but it's generally okay to use 'they' in the singular and anyone that disagrees is some snobbish weirdo. It clearly conveys what one means which makes it suitable for use, IMO.
- yumraj 7y agoI've always liked s/he but don't see that in much usage.