What pronoun do you use in your writing when referring to a generic person? Him, her, their?
I came across the following in a post on ReadWriteWeb:
The first time I heard the term “thought leader”, I thought, “Now there’s a cool concept: someone who is able to assert influence and change outcomes through the sheer force and power of her ideas.” (excerpt from Cartoon: Thought Leaders)
The author chose to use the feminine pronoun “her” to describe the nonspecific “someone” in the piece. There are a few reasons one might take issue with such usage:
- The default pronoun used to describe nonspecific persons in the English language is masculine.
- Using the feminine pronoun, while acceptable, is a departure from common usage and causes distraction.
- Changing pronouns is often done as an afterthought in the name of political correctness at the expense of clear, approachable writing.
I asked my followers on Twitter to give me their thoughts on the subject. Here are just a few of their replies:
Following Darla’s suggestion of removing the pronoun, the rewrite reads, “…someone who is able to assert influence and change outcomes through the sheer force and power of [] ideas.” I like that. It truly is a stronger sentence without the pronoun. But deleting pronouns is an unreliable road to stronger writing. We need a solution.
I think we’ll find that solution in the midst of strong ideas thoughtfully expressed with a consistent voice.
I’ve discovered that the more concrete examples I use in my writing, the less time I spend worrying about nuance and vague references. When I talk about general ideas, gender rarely comes into play. When I write about specific people, I often find it a simple matter to reference them with an accurate pronoun.
What about you? Do you think differently of writers who use certain pronouns? Do you find it annoying or refreshing when a writer jumps between “her” and “him” in the same article? I’ve got thick skin and hope to learn from you so fire away with any thoughts you might have!
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July 19th, 2009 at 9:50 am
My first thought was “Their” … but I much prefer “People” … I believe it units us from all over the world more. I like to appeal to my readers world-wide and not exclude anyone!!!
July 19th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Some time back, there was this politically correct revolution that focused on pronouns. I picked up on the concept of de-gendering generic references right away since it was so simple to learn and frankly, quite logical. Plus, by learning how to do it, I immediately had a leg up on writers who didn't do it, or had to think through it. I've never looked back. It's not unlike how you learn how to write in active versus passive voice – once you get it, you tend to just do it.
July 19th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I say use “their” as it is how most of us talk. The conversational way and so who cares if it is “correct” grammar?
July 19th, 2009 at 10:08 am
But by writing in English you've excluded billions!
I think “people” could work in some cases. Not sure how many though.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:09 am
It doesn't matter which is used as long as it is consistent within an article. Otherwise, “generic person” turns into “generic people” and you begin to wonder if you missed something… kinda like the awkwardness that ensues when tenses are switched.
FWIW, there are some sources that I expect “her” vs. “him”, such as from a feminist organization…. especially when referring to God
In the example cited, I think the pronoun “her” could be omitted and the same message would be conveyed. Conciseness is more professional. By throwing the “her” in there, it gives the feeling that someone is trying (too hard) to sound gender neutral.
I checked back through my
July 19th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Yes, it is pretty logical. Much easier than having to deal with people pulling your writing apart because you used an odd pronoun, eh?
Active voice with neutral gender references? Sounds like winning recipe!
Thanks Jim!
July 19th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Conversational turns into legal within a few years. That's how words keep sneaking into the dictionary as well. Works for me!
July 19th, 2009 at 10:20 am
I switch it up between “him” and “her.” “Their” is just wrong and it seems to bother me more every time I see it. Sometimes I use “people” or “we” to avoid it, but it isn't always appropriate.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Me, too.
My blog's audience is primarily female, but I consciously tend to write with inclusive pronouns ( “they” “we” “our”, etc.), appealing to all readers.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Hi Sarah,
Yes, I agree that consistency is a big factor.
Re: referring to God with feminine pronouns…awesome! I can see a lot of people getting antsy about that. Sometimes it's good to get a bit antsy about things. =)
After-the-fact pronoun switches typically sound contrived. In most cases, sounding contrived is worse than having a few people think you've got a bit of bias up your sleeve.
Thanks!
July 19th, 2009 at 10:38 am
By “switch it up” do you mean within a single piece of writing or across your writing in general?
Seems like doing so in a single piece could be a bit disorienting for the reader.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Man, it would be so convenient if “their” was a grammatically acceptable pronoun!
That said, I remember either hearing not too long ago (and have yet to confirm it) that “she” is actually the generic pronoun in some cultures in the world. It's a tough issue though because I totally agree that having to do the whole “he or she”/”him or herself” all the time.
The switching between the two is a compromise that I am not personally bothered by- but always notice. That said, I know a lot of people who would argue that “of course you notice it, because people are not used to it yet”. Maybe we will get used to it? If not, though, and it is just the inherent dynamic aspect of it that draws our attention to it, any resulting gender association effects might be more highlighted which I guess could be argued as either good or bad?