September 24, 2003
This article gives you permission to use they as a third person singular pronoun in written English:
Beyond the world of linguistics, it isn't generally known that singular they was once accepted usage in English writing and speech. There is no evidence that speakers of Middle English and early Modern English used gender-inclusive he as we know it today.Other options mentioned by the article include of course he and he or she - but there's nothing about my preference, simply to use she. I've always liked this because it seems to force your mind open a little bit - despite what the article above may say, she is definitely the marked form in English, and forcing people around that grammatical imprecision is good enough reason for me. I know she is accepted in some academic writing, but it's not clear to me how widespread it is. I guess I need to hit those academic journals a little harder.
MORE: A friend who's working on her (yes, really her) dissertation in Slavics says she is nonstandard. I'm sure I've seen it in published psychology writing though.
MORE: Language Hat (also in comments) likes they as well. And Brian Weatherson has some interesting discussion of they as a singular pronoun, but in a different sense than I've discussed above.
I disagree with the idea that replacing 'he' with 'she' is the same as going to a grocery store and saying 'apple' to get 'pear.' but that's beside the point. The idea of using 'she' is also, as you know Paul, commonly used as the formal pronoun for 'you' in Italian. So, there is hope.
Those "revolutionary" Italians, huh?
Still, as an English major, I will probably always cringe at the use of 'they' for third person singular.
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