On "singular them".
Jan. 24th, 2005 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
I like singular them. English doesn't have a gender-neutral 3rd person singular plural, and "them" fits the slot nicely. I fully support the use of the singular them - if and only if it's the best way to cast a sentence.
Everyone passed their papers foward: this makes sense. Everyone can be construed as a plural, and it avoids "his or her".
So-and-so has won a prize, go congratulate them: this doesn't make sense. So-and-so is a person, even if we don't know so-and-so's gender. Why not say "So-and-so has won a prize, and should be congratulated"?
My current peeve, taken from neopets is "If you own a Bori, you can now paint them Starry.". Gah. First of all, you can paint "them" starry if you own one right now or not, just create/adopt a new bori and paint it. Secondly, the bori you own is NOT a them. It's a he or a she. This could've been avoided by adding "you'll be happy to know that" in the middle.
Everyone passed their papers foward: this makes sense. Everyone can be construed as a plural, and it avoids "his or her".
So-and-so has won a prize, go congratulate them: this doesn't make sense. So-and-so is a person, even if we don't know so-and-so's gender. Why not say "So-and-so has won a prize, and should be congratulated"?
My current peeve, taken from neopets is "If you own a Bori, you can now paint them Starry.". Gah. First of all, you can paint "them" starry if you own one right now or not, just create/adopt a new bori and paint it. Secondly, the bori you own is NOT a them. It's a he or a she. This could've been avoided by adding "you'll be happy to know that" in the middle.
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no subject
Date: 2005-01-24 09:39 pm (UTC)"So-and-so is a person, even if we don't know so-and-so's gender. Why not say "So-and-so has won a prize, and should be congratulated"?"
Because there's a major difference between telling people to do something, and telling them that it should be done.
"If you own a Bori, you can now paint them Starry.". Gah. First of all, you can paint "them" starry if you own one right now or not, just create/adopt a new bori and paint it. Secondly, the bori you own is NOT a them. It's a he or a she. This could've been avoided by adding "you'll be happy to know that" in the middle."
I don't see any problem with calling a virtual creature "it", but using them as an indefinite singular (in place of the cumbersome him or her) is correct. "You'll be happy to know that" would be extra words and an unwarranted assumption. How about simply saying "Boris can now be painted starry"?
no subject
Date: 2005-01-24 11:36 pm (UTC)2. Not really, especially not in this case.
3. It's awkward and ugly. But your suggestion works.