The use of 'they' as singular is common and acceptable and has a long history (16th century).
http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/they.html http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100184652/if-someone-tells-you-singular-they-is-wrong-please-do-tell-them-to-get-stuffed/ It is also cognitively efficient. (I used the singular they once in a paper for a class in graduate school and footnoted the usage with this citation to avoid grammar penalties.) http://pss.sagepub.com/content/8/2/106.abstract In Search of Gender Neutrality: Is Singular They a Cognitively Efficient Substitute for Generic He? 1. Julie Foertsch<http://pss.sagepub.com/search?author1=Julie+Foertsch&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>1<http://pss.sagepub.com/content/8/2/106.abstract#aff-1> and 2. Morton Ann Gernsbacher<http://pss.sagepub.com/search?author1=Morton+Ann+Gernsbacher&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>1<http://pss.sagepub.com/content/8/2/106.abstract#aff-1> +<http://pss.sagepub.com/content/8/2/106.abstract#> Author Affiliations 1. 1University of Wisconsin-Madison 1. Julie Foertsch, LEAD Center, 1402 University Ave, or Morton Ann Gernsbacher, Department of Psychology, both at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 Abstract With increasing frequency, writers and speakers are ignoring grammatical proscription and using the plural pronoun they to refer to singular antecedents. This change may, in part, be motivated by efforts to make language more gender inclusive. In the current study, two reading-time experiments demonstrated that singular they is a cognitively efficient substitute for generic he or she, particularly when the antecedent is nonreferential. In such instances, clauses containing they were read (a) much more quickly than clauses containing a gendered pronoun that went against the gender stereotype of the antecedent, and (b) just as quickly as clauses containing a gendered pronoun that matched the stereotype of the antecedent. However, with referential antecedents, for which the gender was presumably known, clauses containing singular they were not read as quickly as clauses containing a gendered pronoun that matched the antecedent's stereotypic gender. On Feb 7, 2013, at 8:47 PM, Wuensch, Karl L wrote: This old fart has never seen from a publisher a restriction that would prohibit providing a reprint to an individual. If a publisher were to have such a restriction, I would avoid that publisher like the Medieval plague. PS – “some one” is singular, but “they” is plural. The number of a pronoun should agree with its antecedent. Cheers, <image001.jpg><http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/klw.htm> From: Deborah S. Briihl [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2013 8:29 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Disseminating your published work? The point was that it was a request. A request is a request, not an order. In this case, if some one feels they are breaking copyright rules, then I can see why the request would be refused. And medieval? Well, now that would require a quill, ink, small knife, parchment and a scribe. Maybe an illuminator? :) Deb Deborah Briihl Dept of psych and counseling Valdosta state university [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ,Sent from my iPad On Feb 7, 2013, at 5:11 PM, "Christopher Green" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Hmm. What sounded rude (or at least unconscionably snobby) to me, Deb, was refusing to pass along an article simply because the requester is not "of the guild." How positively Medieval. Chris ----- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M6C 1G4 Canada [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> On Feb 7, 2013, at 4:32 PM, "Deborah S. Briihl" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: I know what others have stated, but at this point I would wonder about this given the second email, which sounds incredibly rude. If you make a request, then the other person can refuse your request. To then accuse you of being unprofessional and you should because taxpayers pay our salary blah, blah, blah would cause some kind of warning bells in me (and would tick me off). Deb Deborah Briihl Dept of psych and counseling Valdosta state university [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ,Sent from my iPad On Feb 7, 2013, at 1:41 PM, "Rob Weisskirch" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: TIPSfolk, Recently, I got a request for pdfs of two articles I had published. The request came from someone who identified himself as an "independent researcher" who claimed not to have access to the two journals (mainstream ones--none that were esoteric). His email did not include his last name nor any affiliation. But, it clearly was not spam. I wrote back and declined to send them because there was not a clear affiliation with an university, press, or other organization. He wrote back and said that he was shocked, my work is not secret, that it is supported by taxpayers, that I'm unprofessional, etc. I replied again that I did not think that his unaffiliated identity met the requirements under the copyright transfer. I also informed him that I respected the journals and if he would provide an affiliation, I'd be happy to send the work. Am I being too picky? Rob Rob Weisskirch, MSW. Ph.D. Professor of Human Development Certified Family Life Educator Liberal Studies Department California State University, Monterey Bay 100 Campus Center, Building 82C Seaside, CA 93955 (831) 582-5079<tel:%28831%29%20582-5079> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> This message is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential, privileged information. 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