Examining the use of singular they pronouns : a literature review and discourse analysis

Abstract

This paper explores age and other factors that affect the use of the third person pronoun <i>they</i> for singular and non-binary antecedents in English. Two methods were used for data collection: an online survey and individual interviews. Models laid out by Bjorkman (2017) and Konnelly and Cowper (2020) were used to categorize participants into 3 stages of the use of singular <i>they</i>. However, these models may not account for all uses of singular <i>they</i> that arose in the data. This led to the exploration of the possible effects of discourse features such as hypotheticality on the use of singular <i>they</i>. These may help explain instances where speakers use singular they when they would otherwise be unexpected to.<br> The age effects found in this study support previous research findings that younger speakers are more accepting of singular <i>they</i> than older speakers (Conrod, 2019; Moulton et al, 2020). Moreover, other factors such as being in the LGBTQIA2S+ community also affect the use of singular <i>they</i> (Bradley, 2020; Conrod, 2019; Hekanaho, 2020). The results also showed that some people are unaware of their own use of singular <i>they</i>. Furthermore, this thesis explores how some speakers resist singular <i>they</i> because they believe <i>they</i> is strictly a plural pronoun and supports previous findings that attitudes to language change can affect acceptance of singular <i>they</i> (Bradley, 2020).<br> This study is complemented by an overview of generic <i>he</i> and its effect on written English, which helps situate the current use of singular <i>they</i>. This informs the transition in English from gender exclusive language (the use of generic <i>he</i>), to gender-inclusive language (the use of <i>he</i> and <i>she</i> as generic pronouns), and finally to a gender-neutral language that is inclusive of not only masculine and feminine gender but other gender identities as well.