3 ms·
dictionary.com "their [thair; unstressed ther] 2. (used after an indefinite singular antecedent in place of the definite masculine form his or the definite
by asymptotic 15y ago
dictionary.com
"their
[thair; unstressed ther]
2.
(used after an indefinite singular antecedent in place of the definite masculine form his or the definite feminine form her ): Someone left their book on the table. Did everyone bring their lunch?"
Wikipedia:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Singular_they https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Singular_they
"Singular they is the use of the pronoun they (or its inflected forms) when plurality is not required by the context. Singular they indicates indeterminacy:
either in regard to number — "Anyone who thinks they have been affected should contact their doctor";
or, controversially, regarding gender — "One student failed their exam."
I accept the usage of their as singular is a bit odd. But I'm unwilling to accept that anyone considers the usage of "his" to be gender-neutral. Maybe "her", but most certainly not "his".
- bromley 15y agoI struggle to see how "her" could be considered gender-neutral. In my opinion that's just making the same mistake all over again. Not meaning to dismiss the underlying issue though. I just think that, short of inventing a new word, singular "their" makes a lot more sense.
- eru 15y ago"she/her" is no more gender-neutral than "he/his". While I prefer "they", the only real solution is for everybody to learn Turkish, a language that doesn't even have gender in its grammar.