They In The Dictionary

Non-binary and genderqueer people have a problem with the English language we don’t have any gender neutral pronouns.

Someone post this on Facebook…

It’s OK To Use “They” To Describe One Person: Here’s Why
Dictionary.com

Has someone ever asked you to refer to them as they instead of him or her? Are you hedging because you can’t possibly refer to one single person as they? What if we told you that they has been used to refer to just one person since at least the 1300s?

How can they be a pronoun for one person?
Elementary English teachers tend to go over the basic pronouns. Those are the words in the English language that can be subbed in when nouns (people, places, or things) aren’t up for playing … or when it just takes too much time to say the full noun form.

I, he, she, and you are all pronouns you might have learned along the way. Maybe you also learned that they were used to refer to singular nouns or words that describe just one person, one place, or one thing. “I am going to eat chocolate for breakfast.” is a sentence that you automatically know is just about you, the one person who is living their best life with a decadent daily treat.

But, you notice how we just used they when we were talking about a whole bunch of pronouns? They is often used as something called a plural pronoun, a word that’s used to describe multiple people, places, or things. They all read Dictionary.com, for example, would probably mean a bunch of really cool logophiles sat around on a Friday night looking for definitions together, right? (Hey, we tried).

But, they is not only a plural pronoun.

But get a load of this…

This chameleon word is also a singular pronoun, and it has been for centuries. Etymologists estimate that as far back as the 1300s, they has been used as a gender neutral pronoun, a word that was substituted in place of either he (a masculine singular pronoun) or she (a feminine singular pronoun).

So that got me thinking what does the Merriam-Webster dictionary have to say about “they?”

Can they, their, them, and themselves be used as singular pronouns?: Usage GuidePronoun, plural in construction

They, their, them, themselves: English lacks a common-gender third person singular pronoun that can be used to refer to indefinite pronouns (such as everyone, anyone, someone). Writers and speakers have supplied this lack by using the plural pronouns.  and every one to rest themselves betake  — William Shakespeare  I would have everybody marry if they can do it properly  — Jane Austen  it is too hideous for anyone in their senses to buy  — W. H. Auden The plural pronouns have also been put to use as pronouns of indefinite number to refer to singular nouns that stand for many persons.  'tis meet that some more audience than a mother, since nature makes them partial, should o'erhear the speech  — William Shakespeare  a person can't help their birth  — W. M. Thackeray  no man goes to battle to be killed. — But they do get killed  — G. B. Shaw The use of they, their, them, and themselves as pronouns of indefinite gender and indefinite number is well established in speech and writing, even in literary and formal contexts. This gives you the option of using the plural pronouns where you think they sound best, and of using the singular pronouns (such as he, she, he or she, and their inflected forms) where you think they sound best.

As Dictionary.com said…

So, next time someone asks you to use they in the singular, tell them you’re on board. The dictionary approves!