The singular 'they' is older than you think

Language
The singular 'they' is older than you think

The singular 'they' has enriched English for over 600 years, used by literary giants and in historical documents long before today's gender-neutral discussions.

The pronoun 'they' has been used as a singular for centuries, long before modern debates about gender-neutral language. Its earliest recorded use dates back to 1375, appearing in medieval literature and even in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales around 1387. William Shakespeare also frequently used singular 'they' in plays like The Comedy of Errors, showing its natural place in everyday speech.

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