Getting to know them: The influence of familiarity on the production of singular specific they

Abstract

While the use of they as a singular pronoun with an indefinite antecedent has been available for centuries, singular they is increasingly being used to refer to specific individuals. Here, we present two experiments investigating the factors underlying oral and written production of this newer usage. We asked participants to create narratives about different individuals of varying gender presentation. The presence of a description containing a pronoun—they, she, or he—was also varied. We examined the role of familiarity with individuals whose personal pronoun is they and with LGBTQ+ communities broadly in the production of singular they. We found that familiarity was a better predictor of variation than age or gender, two variables traditionally associated with language change. Furthermore, modeling the use of they significantly increased its production. Thus, singular specific they can be—and is—acquired both through familiarity with LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as through direct exposure to a textual prompt.

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