Signature January/February 2015 - 8

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SINGULAR "THEY" - YEA OR NAY?
Members of the American Dialect Society
recently determined that it is better to use
the gender-neutral word "they" to refer to
an individual, as opposed to the traditional but more awkward "he
or she." Several other national publications, including the Washington Post,
have adopted the same style. Many AM&P members said that until AP and/or
Chicago approve it, they will stay with "he or she." Here's what several other
AM&P members had to say in a recent discussion on the AM&P Listserve.

As an old editor at heart, I stick with
"he or she." I can see the utility of using
"they" - I just can't bring myself to use it.
Lauren Jonas
Assistant Executive Director, Marketing
National Science Teachers Association
nnn

My editorial team decided last year to
allow "they" in place of "he or she" when
doing so would sound idiomatic in speech.
Chris Walton
Editor
Unitarian Universalist Association
nnn

I'm excited about this change - editing
out "they" over and over to replace it
with "he or she" is one of my least favorite tasks, particularly because I know
I'm intentionally making the copy sound
fussier and more stilted than the writer
intended.
Richard M. Nelson, MS
Senior Manager
American Academy of Dermatology
nnn

I would encourage all of you whose initial
reaction to singular "they" is "no!" to
read up on it because the discussion can
be quite interesting. When I attended the
annual meeting of the American Copy
Editors Society last year, this was a major
discussion with several leading editors,
copy editors, and journalists in favor of
8

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 16

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singular "they" - including people you
might dub hard-core grammarians.
I learned that the use of singular they
has been used for centuries - including
by Shakespeare and Chaucer - and, of
course, it's perfectly acceptable when we
speak, formally or conversationally. Singular
"they" was endorsed by esteemed lexicographers from Merriam-Webster, American
Heritage, and Oxford dictionaries.
Based on these discussions, my take
is now that language evolves over time,
and what was once considered "wrong"
we don't blink an eye at today. "He" is
sexist when not referring to specifically
a man, and "he/she" is clunky, forcing all
of us to rewrite sentences and paragraphs,
to change our writing simply to avoid
something that doesn't necessarily have
to be avoided.
Melanie Padgett Powers
Writer, Managing Editor, Copy Editor
MelEdits
n n n

This makes no sense. When speaking
about an individual, the pronoun he or
she is appropriate. When the gender of
the individual is unknown, it is common
practice to use "he/she." The word "they"
is plural and nothing but plural. To use it
any other way is not proper grammar and
should be avoided, especially in formal
writing situations.
Bob Silverstein
Principal
Ad Sales Experts

What about in terms of fostering a more
inclusive environment? We cover a maledominated activity that desperately needs
to reach out to more women. Most of our
writing uses "he" when a general singular
pronoun is needed. Occasionally we will
sub in "she," but that feels token. Using
"they" would take care of the problem.
"He/she," "(s)he," and "he or she" are
all dreadful.
Ian Twombly
Editor
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
n n n

"They" also has the advantage of referring to people who identify with neither
gender. That was what led the Washington
Post to embrace the singular "they."
Richard Nelson
Senior Manager and Editor
American Academy of Dermatology
It will be interesting to see how this plays
out over time. We'll do a follow-up survey
a year from now and see how many have
made singular "they" an official part of their
style guide.

REMEMBERING MITCH
Thank you for running the thoughtful, reverent piece on Mitch
Mohanna in Signature. He touched
a lot of people in meaningful ways,
and that came through in the article.
Joe Stella
VP, Business Development
GLC | a marketing
communications agency
Mitch was a great supporter of
Signature magazine, and it was an
honor to memorialize him in its pages.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signature January/February 2015

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