this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2023
667 points (100.0% liked)

196

16555 readers
2627 users here now

Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.

Rule: You must post before you leave.

^other^ ^rules^

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

ALT TEXT:

  • Panel 1: A person with the text "Singular 'they'" written on them smiling with open arms.
  • Panel 2: "Singular 'They'" beaten up by others who said, "Singular they is ungrammatical. It's too confusing," "How can anyone use plural pronouns for singular," and "Every pronoun should only have one purpose."
  • Panel 3: "You" hiding from the mob who was beating "Singular 'They'"
  • Panel 4: "German 'Sie'" hiding with even more fear next to "You"
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's using they to refer to a single person. Some people think it's only supposed to be used for a group, but that's completely wrong. It's been used to refer to singular people since at least Shakespeare, if not longer. For example: "if some_one_ tells you they is singular, they are mindlessly consuming right wing media and not considering if it's actually correct."

[–] BitSound@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This misses an important distinction that singular they was never used to refer to a known, specific individual until recently, and was certainly never used by Shakespeare that way.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 year ago

It literally was used by Shakespeare in that fashion. If you're going to say something so confidently, at least Google it first.