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Discussion on: The Language We Use Matters

 
jonrandy profile image
Jon Randy 🎖️ • Edited

Because they is a plural word and it seems awkward to use it to refer to a single person

'They' is also singular (at least in English) - has been since the 14th century - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they

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leob profile image
leob

Okay, but I'm not doing it a dozen times in a row, I'm usually doing it once ... I think I'll stick to "he or she" whenever the need arises.

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joelbonetr profile image
JoelBonetR 🥇 • Edited

Ty for the info John!

After cross reading the wikipedia entey, I'm still on the side of considering the "singular they" an error 😂

There are many situations I can think of it being prone to confusion:

  • Let's do a BBQ with they, would you mind picking the burgers? -> you need to ask explicitly how many people.
  • Would you mind onboarding they to the project? -> How many people? Which is their background?