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The "singular they" has been a thing in English for a long time (since the 14th century according to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they htt
by rob74 3y ago
The "singular they" has been a thing in English for a long time (since the 14th century according to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they). I'm a non-native speaker as well, and wasn't taught about it in school either (maybe that has changed in the meantime?). The first time I consciously noticed it is probably in the Sting song If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Love_Somebody_Set_Them_Free https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Love_Somebody_Set_Them_...), which was his debut solo single, so is already quite old itself (1985, although I probably heard it later).
- moomin 3y agoYeah, it's been commonly used when the object (in the grammatical sense) would typically have a gender but it is unspecified. In fact, it's so common native English speakers don't even notice they're doing it. (Which produces a steady stream of unintentional humor from those pretending it isn't a thing.) The usage as a sign of respect for specific non-binary and other gender non-confirming people is more modern (2009 is apparently the first recorded example). Although to a great extent, it doesn't matter. Language evolves over time and dictionary definitions necessarily trail usage. The wikipedia article is quite detailed and will probably supply more information that anyone particularly wanted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they
- timeon 3y agoThere is also "singular you" in English.