Editors’ Perceptions of Singular They

ABSTRACT

We surveyed 80 editors about their perceptions of singular they in five sentences. We asked editors to choose among three responses: maintain, query, or edit. We also examined whether editors’ responses differed according to age group. Editors most often said they would maintain they not only with an indefinite antecedent but also definite and nonspecific antecedents. Editors would query they when used with proper names to verify that they was the accurate pronoun.

KEYWORDS:

• Editing
• workplace studies/professional practice
• singular they

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Strimling, Y. (2022, January 13). “How do you feel about the singular ‘they?’” Corrigo. https://stc-techedit.org/corrigo/conversation-starter-how-do-you-feel-about-the-singular-they/.

2. In some cases, survey respondents used language that is not recommended by trans people or by style guides. The use of “sexual orientation” here is one such term. The GLAAD Media Reference Guide (11th ed.) says, “Do not confuse and conflate sexual orientation and gender identity” (para. 6). APA echoes GLAAD’s (n.d.) guidance, nothing “Gender identity is distinct from sexual orientation; thus, the two must not be conflated” (p. 138).

3. The NLGJA Stylebook on LGBTQ Terminology (2021) entry “Pronoun use for transgender sources” recommends writers “Avoid references to preferred pronouns because doing so implies that calling people other than what they want to be called is a viable alternative. Avoid references to chosen pronouns because they are not always chosen” (para. 3).

4. This editor misremembered the dialogue from No Time for Sergeants (1958), but got the gist. The joke is actually a bit more extended:

-          Ever break any bones?”

-          Broke a leg bone once.

-          Which leg?

-          The r... No, it was the left. Yeah, left. Left.

-         Any member of your family belong to groups planning to overthrow the government by unconstitutional means?

-          No, we’re pretty satisfied. He still limps a mite.

-          Who does?

-          That fellow whose leg bone I broke. (LeRoy, 1958)

5. Style guides generally acknowledge that male and female refer to a person’s sex and not their gender. While some guides, like APA, sometimes allow for male or female, other guides, like Trans Journalists Association, GLAAD, and NLGJA, would recommend focusing on gender as opposed to sex.

6. This query is one of only a few that distinguished between the pronouns a person uses and the pronouns a person wants on record. Groups like the Tran Journalists Association recommend confirming a person’s wishes for publication to protect them from unintended consequences, such as outing and being targeted for violence.

7. Of the five style guides most commonly used by survey respondents, most advise writers and editors to use singular they when it is a person’s personal pronoun; only New Hart’s Rules is silent on this use. These style guides are somewhat less accepting of indefinite singular they. CMOS (5.48: Singular They), AP Stylebook (Pronouns), and MWSG (bias-free communication) allow for singular they but say other options, like rewording or using second person you, are preferable. Hart’s allows for singular they but says the editor should not “impose” singular they when an author uses he or she consistently (p. 29). APA stands apart for its directive (“Writers should always…”) to use singular they with an indefinite referent (pp. 120–121).

8. It tied with “accessible content and documentation”; the most common response was “non-sexist language.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jo Mackiewicz

Jo Mackiewicz is a professor of rhetoric and professional communication at Iowa State University. She studies the communication of pedagogical and workplace interactions. Her book, Welding Technical Communication: Teaching and Learning Embodied Knowledge, was published by SUNY Press in May 2022.

Allison Durazzi

Allison Durazzi is a communications professional with experience in industry settings, including law, the arts, and freelance editing. She is a Ph.D. student in Rhetoric and Professional Communication at Iowa State University, where she researches and teaches technical editing and teaches business, technical, and speech communication courses.