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It's actually the other way around, the objection to the use of singular 'them/they' as a gender indeterminate pronoun is a relatively recent shift apparently o
by Brakenshire 13y ago
It's actually the other way around, the objection to the use of singular 'them/they' as a gender indeterminate pronoun is a relatively recent shift apparently originating from American English. It is a form which was otherwise well-established:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they#Generic_they http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they#Generic_they
(There are example quotes in the link from Shakespeare, Austen, Twain, and Bernard-Shaw)
- aviraldg 13y agoI was comparing against Indian English, but point noted.
- Brakenshire 13y agoAh, I wasn't meaning to tell you what the usage is in your country, just trying to make the narrow point about American English. As an aside, do you mind if I ask, is there a narrative in India about protecting the Indian dialect of English, like you might get in Britain about vulgur Americanization, or in America about pretentious Britishisms?
- plinkplonk 13y agoNo there isn't a 'protect Indian English' narrative here.