Why ‘They’ is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year

Earlier this month, Merriam-Webster (not only a dictionary but also a well-known sassy Twitter account) announced their 2019 words of the year. ‘They’ was chosen as THE word of the year.

But, why?

In recent years, the singular ‘they’ has re-emerged in everyday conversation. This is, in large part, due to its use among gender non-binary, gender non-conforming and trans people as personal gender pronouns (PGP).

If you’re not familiar, gender non-binary folks (also affectionately known as enbys) have started to use the singular they as it captures the fluidity of gender without leaving folks feeling locked in or trapped by (only) using inherently masculine or feminine pronouns. That being said, people conceptualize they differently and some folks use more than one set of personal pronouns (she and/or they for example).

The Backstory of ‘They’

There has, unfortunately, been some serious backlash against the singular use of they. Most of the time this stems the discomfort of using they in a “new” way. . If you’re not used to using they to refer to a single person then it can be uncomfortable. But, it’s actually more common than you think!

Up until recently, it seems, most people used the singular they to refer to someone of a unknown gender…someone who is unspecified or unknown to them. For example, and this happens a fair amount this time of year, if there is a misplaced set of gloves in a subway car most would say “Someone lost their gloves!” if they felt unsure of the person’s gender. In a office environment someone might yell, “Hey, someone left their leftovers rotting in the fridge. That’s gross!”

See, it’s not as weird as you might have initially thought.

Additionally, the use of the singular they is not new at all! It is thought that the term was used as far back as the 14th century. We also have published evidence of it dating back to the works of Shakespeare and Dickinson.

So, no. It’s not some new-fangled thing that people have made up as transgender and gender non-binary folks have become more ‘mainstream’. It’s been around for a minute. And even if it were made up and/or new, language changes all that time so what’s wrong with that?

But remember this is about PERSONAL pronouns

Ultimately, it’s important to honor people by using what pronouns they choose to use and identify with. Making assumptions is normal, but it’s always helpful to ask people for their personal pronouns. It’s one simple way to be inclusive and show kindness to everyone around you no matter how they look and what you assume about them (see what I did there?).