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TIP: Don't assume pronouns (DBO)

by uberfoop @, Seattle-ish, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 15:10 (3795 days ago) @ Cody Miller

It doesn't assume you are a guy. Technically, you are supposed to use "he" or "him" if the gender is unknown in the english language and you are referring to a singular person. It's not done out of insensitivity, just protocol. You can be unhappy about this, but that is what's proper linguistically.

Language is a fluid thing.

For a couple of centuries, some scholars prescribed "he" for unknown gender. It's hardly "the" standard use right now, though.

And if anyone wants to be a stickler about historical precedent, "they" has been used as a singular pronoun for as long as Modern English has existed.


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