They was used 14th century English excuse for COC Pronouns

[The Dave]

The previous thread was close in regards to idiotic use pronouns  by Choasium. Some commenter said "they was used in 14th century English." 14th century English  was called Middle English which like this (line 1 early middle English). She was added very quickly in late middle English (line 2), so if you're going to make that stupid claim then advocate for us retuning to writing and speaking early middle English or have the balls to admit that you are trying to change language for your own purposes.  As far as I'm concern, Choasium could of replace gender with physical description but they choose to use this pronoun nonsense, so its clear were they stand on this issue. They won't get one more cent from me. 

 

[Ali the Helering]

I imagine they will cope without your cent.  As for your reasoning, it is off by a mile.  

[soltakss]

I know a lot of people don't put much stock in the accuracy of Wikipedia, but this section, on they as a singular pronoun, is very interesting.

[Qizilbashwoman]

5 hours ago, The Dave said:

have the balls to admit that you are trying to change language for your own purposes

yes clearly you have no iron in this fire

[g33k]

6 hours ago, The Dave said:

The previous thread was close in regards to idiotic use pronouns  by Choasium. Some commenter said "they was used in 14th century English." 14th century English  was called Middle English which like this (line 1 early middle English). She was added very quickly in late middle English (line 2), so if you're going to make that stupid claim then advocate for us retuning to writing and speaking early middle English or have the balls to admit that you are trying to change language for your own purposes.  As far as I'm concern, Choasium could of replace gender with physical description but they choose to use this pronoun nonsense, so its clear were they stand on this issue. They won't get one more cent from me. 

 

That historical-usage argument going back (as you note) to Middle English has always seemed a bit off-the-point to me.
All it proves is how things "used to be" (a long time ago); and many changes to English have occurred since -- none of us speak Middle English any more!
(Well, OK... a few academics do, largely as an "academic exercise" (or an interesting YouTube video))

As such, however, that argument seems a bit of a straw-man...  Including, unfortunately, your own use of it here.  The fact of its usage then is largely irrelevant to today's argument.

Today?

Usage of "they" is correct, and (more relevantly) is both current and in continuous use; it is NOT some "change" in pursuit of someone's "purposes."

Although some prescriptivists tried to change the usage, that was a change away from the common usage, and their effort essentially failed.  "They" was (for a while) relegated to an "informal" status (not suitable for formal writing)... but it never fell out of use.

I quote Merriam-Webster:

Quote

We will note that they has been in consistent use as a singular pronoun since the late 1300s; that the development of singular they mirrors the development of the singular you from the plural you, yet we don’t complain that singular you is ungrammatical; and that regardless of what detractors say, nearly everyone uses the singular they in casual conversation and often in formal writing.

n.b. "in consistent use" -- not merely a historical quirk of back-then, but a continuous element ever since.

Arguing against "they" is itself actually trying to implement a change, to suit your own "purposes."  And, like the 18th-century grammarians', that effort will fail.


I quote the OED:

Quote

In the eighteenth century, grammarians began warning that singular they was an error because a plural pronoun can’t take a singular antecedent
...
Toward the end of the twentieth century, language authorities began to approve the form. The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) not only accepts singular they, they also use the form in their definitions.

n.b. that dictionary was a quarter-century ago!  And to get into that dictionary, it had to reflect what was widely-accepted usage at that time.

I quote the Collins English Dictionary:

Quote

You use 'they' instead of 'he or she' to refer to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman.

(n.b. this is pretty explicitly the "non-binary they")

In short, @The Dave -- your argument cherry-picked an irrelevancy to "dispute," and ignored the plain, simple facts of English as it is spoken by the overwhelming majority, and accepted by the largest dictionaries in the English language (which in turn each reflect extensive, separate researches on English usage).

I will suggest that you have been misled by some of the sources you have been reading.

Edited April 9, 2022 by g33k

[MOB]

10 hours ago, The Dave said:

They won't get one more cent from me. 

People have made their* points clear. In the interests of keeping the discourse on this site friendly and positive, this topic is now closed. 

*heh