Like, I dunno, "Sam is a video game reviewer, and has worked in the industry for over a decade, starting at GiantBomb. They then moved over to YouTube" - if I'm not paying extra attention, I could interpret "they" as referring to GiantBomb instead of Sam, an issue "he" (or "she", I suppose) doesn't have due to being exclusively-singular (and, well, gendered, and companies are largely genderless things in English).
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RichardTheKing
RichardTheKing
Or, "Sam went to the movies with his friends and they had a great time" - that's a better example. Who's "they"? Sam, who's non-binary, or the friends, or Sam + friends combined?
Having a singular version of "they"/"them" would greatly assist in quick comprehension.
Having a singular version of "they"/"them" would greatly assist in quick comprehension.
The Catboy
English already has a singular they/them ._.
jeffyTheHomebrewer
that would be they/them you dry cucumber of a king
jeffyTheHomebrewer
The other day, my friend Sam told me that they went to the movies, along with their friends.
x65943
I am jealous of Chinese - he/she/it are all "ta"
And plural are "ta'men"
And plural are "ta'men"
jeffyTheHomebrewer
@x65943 what about they?
x65943
They plural would be "ta'men" and they singular would be "ta"
Super simple. When you write it out it does look different, but they are all said the exact same way.
Super simple. When you write it out it does look different, but they are all said the exact same way.
RichardTheKing
@Lilith Valentine @jeffyTheHomebrewer I mean a different set of terms, that DON'T also work for a group. I do understand that "they"/"them" can be used for both singular and multiple, but that's my entire point - there should be something else that is strictly singular.
The Catboy
Maybe it’s because I am bad at English but I am not sure I follow
RichardTheKing
"He", "his", "him", "she", "her" and "hers" are all strictly singular. They cannot refer to a group; if those pronouns are used, it's always to refer to one person.
"They" and "them", however, can be used for both a single person and a group of people, which can cause confusion.
This is why I'd like to see new pronouns made that are strictly singular.
"They" and "them", however, can be used for both a single person and a group of people, which can cause confusion.
This is why I'd like to see new pronouns made that are strictly singular.
RichardTheKing
I don't know how I can explain myself better than that.
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