[lg policy] Singular they is Web of Language Word of the Year

[Baron, Dennis E]

Singular they is Web of Language Word of the Year: http://bit.ly/1MFkynj

Singular they is word of the year for 2015. A common-gender third-person pronoun, singular they has been popular in English speech and writing for over 650 years. Although frequently classified by purists as ungrammatical, its use seems undiminished, and it may even be on the rise because it fills an important linguistic niche. In recent years, more and more English speakers have sought a gender-neutral alternative to pronouns that express the traditional male/female binary, turning either to invented pronouns like xe and zie, or to that old stand-by, singular they. Because singular they has witnessed a dramatic rehabilitation over the past year, the Web of Language Distinguished Usage Panel unanimously chose to honor it as word of the year for 2015. . . .

Read the rest of the post at https://illinois.edu/blog/view/25/280996


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