Stamets@startrek.website to memes@lemmy.world · 9 months agoThey're human, not a child-eating clownstartrek.websiteimagemessage-square124fedilinkarrow-up1702arrow-down153
arrow-up1649arrow-down1imageThey're human, not a child-eating clownstartrek.websiteStamets@startrek.website to memes@lemmy.world · 9 months agomessage-square124fedilink
minus-squaredustyData@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up9arrow-down2·9 months agoSingular they has existed in English before the times of Shakespeare. It’s not a fad. It’s a bloody grammatical reality.
minus-squareAlpacaChariot@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up7·9 months agoContext matters. Sometimes it’s confusing!
minus-squaresamus12345@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up7·edit-29 months agoSingular they has also always been used when the person is unidentified. “Somebody left their umbrella here!” It’s when the person is identified that it feels awkward at first for us Gen Xers and older in particular.
Singular they has existed in English before the times of Shakespeare. It’s not a fad. It’s a bloody grammatical reality.
Context matters. Sometimes it’s confusing!
Singular they has also always been used when the person is unidentified. “Somebody left their umbrella here!” It’s when the person is identified that it feels awkward at first for us Gen Xers and older in particular.