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no clear cut misuse and has been in use both informally and in English literature for centuries - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they#Acceptability_and_p

no clear cut misuse and has been in use both informally and in English literature for centuries - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they#Acceptability_and_prescriptive_guidance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they#Acceptability_and...

dctoedt 11y ago
> no clear cut misuse and has been in use both informally and in English literature for centuries But disapproved by most style guides, school English teachers, etc., because it's inaccurate.
- eru 11y ago
  If it's good enough for Jane Austen, it's good enough for me.
  - dctoedt 11y ago
    > If it's good enough for Jane Austen, it's good enough for me. Imagine that your doctor wanted to bleed you to cure an infection, on grounds that bloodletting was accepted medical practice in Jane Austen's day. [1] (This is also a reply to Thomas's up-thread shoot-at-the-king comment, which has no Reply link for me.) [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting
    - eru 11y ago
      My argument was, of course, rather flippant. To put flesh on the skeleton, but remove the wit of brevity: I cite Jane Austen here not so much because her English was seen as exemplary in her time, but because we widely hold her as a premier role model today.
- dreamfactory2 11y ago
  > it's inaccurate Not according to Stephen Pinker, who I believe is considerably more authoritative than either of us when it comes to grammar and etymology.
- tptacek 11y ago
  And yet thou does use the word "you" routinely in its singular, which is also inaccurate, bearing the same relationship with "thou" as "they" does with "he", "she", or "it".
  - dctoedt 11y ago
    > And yet thou does use the word "you" routinely in its singular, which is also inaccurate The singular you is seldom used as such in written language intended to be read by numerous others, so it's far less likely to be jarring or to cause confusion.
    - tptacek 11y ago
      Thou comest at the king, as it is said, and thou had best not miss: http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002748.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002748.h...
      - dctoedt 11y ago
        See my comment down-thread about Jane Austen and bloodletting. (I'll stop now; we've hit diminishing returns.)
        idlewords 11y ago
        I'm going to use that first sentence as my stock rebuttal to everything from now on.
        tptacek 11y ago
        Just to be clear, it's Language Log that's Omar in this silly little metaphor. I was making an appeal to authority, but of a different sort than "yet another famous author using singular they". :)

dctoedt 11y ago

> no clear cut misuse and has been in use both informally and in English literature for centuries But disapproved by most style guides, school English teachers, etc., because it's inaccurate.

eru 11y ago
If it's good enough for Jane Austen, it's good enough for me.
- dctoedt 11y ago
  > If it's good enough for Jane Austen, it's good enough for me. Imagine that your doctor wanted to bleed you to cure an infection, on grounds that bloodletting was accepted medical practice in Jane Austen's day. [1] (This is also a reply to Thomas's up-thread shoot-at-the-king comment, which has no Reply link for me.) [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting
  - eru 11y ago
    My argument was, of course, rather flippant. To put flesh on the skeleton, but remove the wit of brevity: I cite Jane Austen here not so much because her English was seen as exemplary in her time, but because we widely hold her as a premier role model today.
dreamfactory2 11y ago
> it's inaccurate Not according to Stephen Pinker, who I believe is considerably more authoritative than either of us when it comes to grammar and etymology.
tptacek 11y ago
And yet thou does use the word "you" routinely in its singular, which is also inaccurate, bearing the same relationship with "thou" as "they" does with "he", "she", or "it".
- dctoedt 11y ago
  > And yet thou does use the word "you" routinely in its singular, which is also inaccurate The singular you is seldom used as such in written language intended to be read by numerous others, so it's far less likely to be jarring or to cause confusion.
  - tptacek 11y ago
    Thou comest at the king, as it is said, and thou had best not miss: http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002748.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002748.h...
    - dctoedt 11y ago
      See my comment down-thread about Jane Austen and bloodletting. (I'll stop now; we've hit diminishing returns.)
      - idlewords 11y ago
        I'm going to use that first sentence as my stock rebuttal to everything from now on.
      - tptacek 11y ago
        Just to be clear, it's Language Log that's Omar in this silly little metaphor. I was making an appeal to authority, but of a different sort than "yet another famous author using singular they". :)