A singular phenomenon

For some time now, singular they has been a hot topic. But why? What do linguists have to say about it and how new is this phenomenon? Are there any problems associated with its use? And on a more specific note, how does singular they show up in our work as translators? Let’s take a quick dive into the issue.

"Choose your words" made with ABC tiles
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, singular they goes back to 1375, cropping up in the medieval romance William and the Werewolf. It also states that the form likely appeared in spoken language before it appeared in writing. Merriam-Webster corroborates in its article that they has been used consistently “as a singular pronoun since the late 1300s”. Merriam-Webster’s article also explains that the way singular they has evolved mimics how the singular you developed from the plural you, which is commonly accepted in English. However, as the Oxford English Dictionary states:

In the eighteenth century, grammarians began warning that singular they was an error because a plural pronoun can’t take a singular antecedent. They clearly forgot that singular you was a plural pronoun that had become singular as well. (A brief history of singular ‘they’ (oed.com))

A University of Chicago User’s Guide on singular they by Julie Matsubara describes how in the mid-1700s prescriptivists began “opting for generic he or restructuring/rewording the sentence to avoid entirely the need for a generic pronoun”. This meant sentences such as:

Someone had left his dog outside in the yard all night.

Much more recently, style guides decided that, to increase inclusivity and reduce gendered pronouns, new forms should be used, such as he/she, (s)he or even she or he. These days, however, singular they has become the preferred option to he and she where a person’s gender is not known or it is irrelevant, or they are non-binary. (A brief history of singular ‘they’ (oed.com)). 

Of course, there are cases where it can cause confusion. If, for example, someone called Bart, let’s say, prefers the pronoun they, sentences such as this can result:

Bart took Lisa to the fair. They went on the Ferris wheel.

Does they refer to Bart only or both Bart and Lisa? However, this type of confusion is easy to sidestep using context or by slightly altering the wording of the sentence. For example, like this:

Bart took Lisa to the fair. They both went on the Ferris wheel.

So why is everyone not on board the singular they train? There are two reasons, which often overlap. One is the old argument that they is plural and thus ungrammatical. This 18th century idea has long been dispelled and is not supported by how people use the pronoun in real life. The other reason is unrelated to language. Some people have a problem with non-binary individuals and members of the trans community. These people often use grammar to justify their opinion that they can’t be used for an individual. However, as this argument doesn’t hold up for the above-mentioned reasons, it is often clear that these people are feigning a keen interest in grammar to cover up the real reason, i.e. their bigotry towards non-binary people.

For English translators, and for other people in the business of writing English, it is a blessing that singular they has become an accepted pronoun in most of the major style guides. At least to me, writing he/she or her/himself or any variation thereof has always felt a little irritating. Sentences with the optional pronouns are harder to read, and the slash interrupts the sentence flow. Another benefit of singular they occurs when the gender of a person in a text is unknown, which is exactly the sort of instance in which singular they has been used for centuries. In many languages there are no gendered pronouns, making it impossible for translators to know the gender of the person, unless it is specified in the text in some other way. Finnish, which I translate from, is one such language. Everyone is assigned the pronoun hän, regardless of gender. At least one of our customers has requested that we use they instead of he/she and we have organically moved over to using singular they in most translations.

So what is the future of they? Will a new word emerge to replace plural they as singular they becomes the approved form in written language? Or will the two forms continue to exist side by side just like the plural and singular you? It remains to be seen, but as a translator, I am happy with the official acceptance of singular they. At any rate, language continues to evolve and there’s not much prescriptivists (and bigots) can do about it.

Linda Jansson-Färm
Translator