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Being a non-English native, I'm surprised when I read people who use a plural form when they're clearly talking about a single person.

Here are two excerpts from a software I used to work on, written by a former Irish co-worker:

... a supervisor must assign it to themselves and deal with it.

and:

This supervisor has no restaurants assigned to them.

I would have written the following sentences instead:

... a supervisor must assign it to himself and deal with it.

and:

This supervisor has no restaurants assigned to him.

Is the plural form correct English, and if so, is the plural preferred over the singular form?

BenMorel
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    Since both examples deal with "business" there's the issue of gender neutrality in play. Corporate environments can be very picky about that kind of thing. – Misneac Nov 14 '15 at 15:38
  • Ah yeah, it didn't strike me that this was a gender-neutral thing. Extensive reading indeed in the link @FumbleFingers provides! – BenMorel Nov 14 '15 at 15:41
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    Everybody has their own opinion about singular they, but there are in fact rules one can follow. – John Lawler Nov 14 '15 at 15:51
  • @John Lawler What about this? A friend of mine calls me up and tells me she is sending a co-worker to hand me a parcel. Five hours later she calls me again to learn whether the parcel has been delivered: "I've sent my co-worker, Jan, to deliver the parcel. Have you got it?" To this point in time, I don't know whether Jan is a male or a female and I tell her: "Jan was here while I was in the shower and left a note saying they will be back tomorrow." Here I don't know who Jan is and I presume I won't be wrong if I consider Jan non-referential. Would I be wrong? – Centaurus Nov 14 '15 at 16:35
  • @JohnLawler - do you see any sign that 'they' is becoming more used as in this version of your sentence: A certain Jan (unknown gender) called by and said they'll call back later. – Dan Nov 14 '15 at 16:40
  • Given that you didn't see Jan and only use the name because of the question context, I'd say you're right. – John Lawler Nov 14 '15 at 16:40
  • @Centaurus - er, jinx!! – Dan Nov 14 '15 at 16:40
  • @Dan: I don't know; I don't keep track of frequency. You should ask a sociolinguist. – John Lawler Nov 14 '15 at 16:42

1 Answers1

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Singular they is widely used as a gender-neutral pronoun to refer to a single person.

A reason for its use is that English has no dedicated singular personal pronoun of indeterminate gender.[5] In some cases, its use can be explained by notional agreement because words like "everyone", though singular in form, are plural in meaning.[6] Its use in formal English has increased in recent times with the trend toward gender-inclusive language,[4] but it has been used by respected writers for centuries.[7]

Though singular "they" has a long history of usage and is common in everyday English, its use has been criticized since the late nineteenth century, and acceptance varies.

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