document updated 12 years ago, on Jun 9, 2012

People wonder why English doesn't have a singular pronoun that you can use when you don't know someone's gender.

In fact, we've had one for hundreds of years.

Singular-they was used by many respected 17th and 18th century writers.
- Shakespeare (1564-1616) [1] [2]
- Jane Austen (1775-1817) [1]
- Mark Twain (1835-1910) [1]
In the 19th century, singular-they began to be discouraged in formal writing. 1795 is the first known instance of this. [1] [2]
However, it continued to be used all along, in informal speech. [1]
There are a few modern writers who advocate for its use in formal writing, particularly as a replacement for the universal he. [1] [2]