Protected: Is Singular They Old or New?
Why are they/them pronouns easier for some people to use? The answer can tell us a lot about the English language, and how it is changing.
- by
- Kirby Conrod
- with Caitlyn Lieb and Natalia Saavedra Ramirez
WATCH & LISTEN
“The Vocal Fries” episode 14:
“They / Them / Theirs”
Lingthusiasm episode 43:
“The grammar of singular they – Interview with Kirby Conrod”
“Pronouns, language, linguistics” starter pack
on the podcast Gender Reveal
READ MORE
“Pronouns and Gender in Language” by Kirby Conrod (original article)
Vogue International:
“Gender neutral pronouns are important: Not everyone identifies with ‘he’ or ‘she’” by Amelia Abraham
TIME:
“This Is Why Singular ‘They’ Is Such a Controversial Subject” by Katy Steinmetz
Grammar Girl blog:
“Old ‘They,’ New ‘They’ — Language Change in Action” by Kirby Conrod
Mental Floss:
“Why It Can Be Hard to Get Pronouns Right, According to Linguistics” by Kirby Conrod
Planet Word Museum Words & Language blog:
“Singular “They” and Language Beyond the Gender Binary: Q&A with Kirby Conrod”
JUMP IN
1. Discuss a time when you decided you wanted to change something about your language.
2. How do languages outside of English mark gender? What do you do when you’re talking about someone nonbinary in your language?
2. How do languages outside of English mark gender? What do you do when you’re talking about someone nonbinary in your language?
MEET US
Kirby Conrod (they/them)
Swarthmore College
I’m an assistant professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where I teach linguistics classes and do research about pronouns and gender. I’m especially curious about what new things are going on with nonbinary languages other than English. I have two cats, Debt Forgiveness and Universal Healthcare.
The languages in my life are English, Chinese, and a little bit of ASL (I want to learn more!).
Caitlin Lieb
Fordham University 2023
The languages in my life are English and French. As the only bilingual in my family, I speak French whenever I can and learn new languages as often as possible, including Korean and Russian.
Natalia Saavedra Ramirez
Harvest Collegiate High School 2023
The languages in my life are Spanish, English, and a mix of both, Spanglish.
