The popularity of the singular usage of the pronouns “they/them” has become increasingly prevalent in today’s society, what does this mean?

By: Evi Judge
Course: Language in US Society (Ling 1000)
Advisor: Prof. Chase Raymond
TA: Olivia Hirschey Marrese
LURA 2020

Pronouns, or the words we use to replace nouns and noun phrases in everyday speech, have become a controversial topic in recent years. Namely, the debate over whether or not to accept “they/them” as a gender-neutral singular referent. A referent is a word that refers back to a person, object, or idea. In the case of “they/them,” the pronoun refers to a person, and the current question is whether or not the pronoun should be used for a singular person or only kept in reference for multiple people. The issue is one of linguistic grammaticality—the way everyday people speak —versus prescriptive grammaticality—the way people should use language. 

It appears that the linguistically grammatical form of the pronouns has won: In September 2019, Merriam-Webster declared that “they/them” would once again serve as a singular pronoun (Trammell, 2019). Once again? “They/them” has been popular throughout the centuries in its singular form. Dating back to the 17th century, the singular form of the pronoun is not a new concept (Balhorn 2016, pp. 82). In politics, healthcare, and society as a whole, the pronoun “they” has become more and more ubiquitous—its prevalence should not be a surprise to anyone going forward.  

From college campuses to political debates, “they/them” has made an appearance. Some colleges such as the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado Boulder have provided students with the option of declaring what pronouns they would like to go by (Bever, 2019). One UM student asked to be referred to as “his majesty”—this was a gross misuse of the college’s intention. By ridiculing pronouns, a person ridicules an entire population. Mockery of pronoun choice is not limited to college campuses: in one 2019 presidential debate, candidates emerged on stage announcing their pronouns. Senator Kamala Harris stated that her pronouns are “she, her, and hers”—in response, CNN host, Chris Cuomo, joked that his pronouns were the same as Senator Harris’s (Wegmann, 2019). Cuomo later issued a public apology via Twitter. The fact that Cuomo issued a public apology for joking about “they/them” marks a turning point in current society’s attitude towards gender identity.    

The current usage of these pronouns has not come without its fair share of confusion of how to proceed in the medical field. Medicine, historically, has been more concerned with binary sex and lesser so gender identity. The concern with biological sex results from different sexes requiring different treatments. Nevertheless, if medical professionals neglect to acknowledge a patient’s choice of identity, patient-doctor mistrust may impede treatment. Awareness of this potential mistrust has prompted hospitals to encourage doctors to open a dialogue with their patients, and additionally, some electronic health records now have the option to store both the patient’s sex assigned at birth and preferred gender identity (Arndt, 2018). As society progresses, the field of medicine must also adapt to remain inclusive of all of its patients. 

Language is a tool that people use to represent themselves. Progressive shifts in language help us to accept the so-called “subgroups” in society. As of the current day, pronouns are a muddy topic for politics and healthcare alike, but as people work towards a more inclusive society, these questions should subside. The usage of the singular form of “they/them” is not just a question of prescriptive grammar—rather, it is a question of societal acknowledgement of a group of people.