The year is 2018, yet a certain subset of professors still cling to the notion that the personal pronoun “they” or “them” can only be plural. I’ve heard of an instance where a student suffered point deductions for using the singular “they” in their writing. These grammar “purists” find themselves in good, authoritative company: Purdue OWL and the APA style guide both proscribe use of the singular “they.” As a writer lacking sufficient tact, allow me to make my point clear: These professors are dull-witted and severely lacking the high ground.
No doubt, these arbiters of language would scoff at Chaucer and spit on Shakespeare. They might argue that these men were better suited for poetry, and poetry does not have to follow any grammatical rules. Our professors examine prose writers, such as Jane Austen or Daniel Defoe, both of which are within the canon, and make use of the singular “they” pronoun. But looking to Austen or Defoe for linguistic “correctness” could be classified as a fallacious argument to authority. Though these literary giants have used the singular “they,” that doesn’t mean your professors are right.
However, to say that was fallacious, you would need to believe English comes from some outside source, or is a policeable commodity. It is obviously neither. English is a mass of words given to us by Germans and Frenchmen who killed each other until they talked differently. The only meaning it has is what we give it, and the only grammatical rules are ones we adhere to. So, how can such pedantry be affirmed when Darren LaScotte’s 2016 study on the subject showed over 68 percent of participants using the singular “they” when gender was unknown? For a counterpoint, one might note Jurgen Gerner’s study, which found informal use at 72 percent but only 19 percent of participants felt the singular “they” to be appropriate, formally.
There is, of course, a perfectly ridiculous reason for this: Gerner’s study is from 1970, and these professors come from the time the generic “he” was standard when referring to a person or position without a gender. While “they” comes to the singular use in the 14th century, it is Ann Fisher in 1745 who writes in her book "A New Grammar" to only use “he” as an indefinite singular pronoun rather than they. This is where our haunting relics find the rule they so love.
Undoubtedly, however, professors would prescribe the use of “he or she” without a second thought. But it’s not that simple, as those same grammarians rejected that default, reactionary, simplistic “he/she” construction as too clumsy. But, most importantly, this upholds the gender binary and ignores persons who don’t identify as male or female. Some persons aren’t he or she, and that’s valid. The reason why I don’t present this as the only argument in favor of the singular “they” is so it can’t be rejected as merely sentimental, without regard for grammar. Even at our university, there are many people who are not sensitive to others.
It’s not your job to educate anyone. I understand that. But professors are supposed to educate, and some are abusing this privilege. If a math professor stated 2+2=5 in their class, everyone would flee during add/drop, so why is it different for any other professor? If you encounter this in the classroom, please call them out on their bull----. This could make the difference between comfort and an invalidated experience for some fellow students. Not everyone’s body reflects their gender, and “they” is a powerful guard against assumption.
Levi Cooper is a UF English senior. His column normally appears on Wednesdays.
