--- title: "Dialect Society Gives Singular “They” the Thumbs-Up" id: "31670" type: "post" slug: "dialect-society-gives-singular-they-the-thumbs-up" published_at: "2016-01-12T21:37:44+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T15:18:57+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/01/12/dialect-society-gives-singular-they-the-thumbs-up/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/01/12/dialect-society-gives-singular-they-the-thumbs-up.md" excerpt: "By choosing \"they\" as its 2015 Word of the Year, the American Dialect Society gives the pronoun its official approval to be used in the singular form. Also: Does the quick buzz around Peach highlight social media's rapid half-life?" taxonomy_category: - "Conscious Inclusion" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "body language" - "Business" - "gender neutrality" - "social change" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Dialect Society Gives Singular “They” the Thumbs-Up They chose wisely. Over the weekend, members of the American Dialect Society picked the 2015 Word of the Year, and the selection could ruffle a few feathers in newsrooms around the country. That’s because ADS decided that it is acceptable to use the gender-neutral word “they” to refer to an individual as a substitute for the longer (and arguably more awkward) “he or she.” Part of the issue, says Ben Zimmer, the chair of ADS’ New Words Committee, is the changing environment around gender identity. “In the past year, new expressions of gender identity have generated a deal of discussion, and singular *they* has become a particularly significant element of that conversation,” [Zimmer said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://www.americandialect.org/2015-word-of-the-year-is-singular-they) at a society event on Friday. “While many novel gender-neutral pronouns have been proposed, *they* has the advantage of already being part of the language.” The decision received widespread support. MTV [called it “a win (opens in a new tab)](http://www.mtv.com/news/2726114/the-latest-word-of-the-year-is-a-win-for-gender-neutrality/) for gender neutrality.” And *Inc.* contributor Chris Matyszczyk [points out that the singular “they” (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/the-new-word-of-the-year-is-going-to-upset-some-people.html) is already common parlance in the United Kingdom. (It also was perhaps less controversial than some of the other choices, which included “ammosexual,” the suggestive eggplant emoji, and “Netflix and chill.”) But the situation is a complicated one in the world of copy editing. Bill Walsh, a copy editor at *The* *Washington Post*, [decided last year to allow the use of the singular “they” (opens in a new tab)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-post-drops-the-mike--and-the-hyphen-in-e-mail/2015/12/04/ccd6e33a-98fa-11e5-8917-653b65c809eb_story.html) based on “the increasing visibility of gender-neutral people” for whom “he or she” doesn’t fit. Walsh said that he was aware the change would cause controversy but that it gets around the use of the clunky “he or she.” The American Copy Editors Society (ACES) also backed the move, which the organization itself had been debating internally in recent years. “It continues the validation that sometimes the fix is worse than the flaw,” wrote Merrill Perlman, who leads the ACES Education Fund, [in a message regarding the change (opens in a new tab)](http://www.copydesk.org/blog/2016/01/08/it-is-they-word-of-the-year-is-a-longtime-copy-editing-conundrum/) . “Avoiding *they* can create stilted language. The ADS adds momentum to the movement.” Think champions of singular “they” know what they’re talking about? Share your thoughts below. ### Flash in the Peach? **To get an idea of how fast** the world of social media works, today we’re writing about the supposed death of an application that [we wrote about yesterday](http://associationsnow.com/2016/01/monday-buzz-the-impact-of-small-events/) . Strategist Tero Kuittinen, writing for *Boy Genius Report*, was the first to claim that the “Death of Peach” is imminent. His reasoning is that the hype is outrunning the actual appeal of the app—something he bases on its rank on the iPhone download chart. (Kuittinen [famously made the same claim (opens in a new tab)](http://bgr.com/2015/03/30/meerkat-vs-periscope-analysis-journalism/) about Meerkat last March, citing the app’s weak spot on the same chart.) “There are no comebacks in the app industry. If an app performs weakly despite heavy marketing or media support, the app is dead,” [Kuittinen explains (opens in a new tab)](http://bgr.com/2016/01/11/peach-messaging-app-iphone-collapse/) . “It cannot be revived. Real app vendors know this and kill weakly performing apps early and often. There are no second chapters in this biz. Meerkat was dead three weeks after it launched and Peach is dead four days after its debut.” Whether or not Kuittinen is right, it’s worth pointing out that the app has improved its standing since his piece appeared, jumping from 129 to 95 on the free apps chart. [TechCrunch has a slightly more optimistic take (opens in a new tab)](http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/11/hype-or-not-peach-hit-the-top-10-social-networking-app-list-fast/#.svqfvt:b5yX) on the app’s chart history. ### Other Links of Note **Learn something about learning.** On his *Mission to Learn* blog, Tagoras’ Jeff Cobb has a new e-book out called *10 Ways To Be a Better Learner*. [It’s free, by the way (opens in a new tab)](http://www.missiontolearn.com/be-a-better-learner/) , through Friday. **Internet Explorer is mostly dead in the eyes of Microsoft.** The company will [offer virtually no support for versions 8, 9, and 10 of its iconic web browser (opens in a new tab)](http://www.pcworld.com/article/3021789/windows/microsoft-patch-tuesday-kills-off-windows-8-and-internet-explorer-8-9-and-10.html#tk.rss_all) . While the company is still supporting IE 11, it has mostly switched gears to the the next-generation Edge browser. **Just getting started** with your online community? MemberClicks [has plenty of great strategies to help you succeed (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/4-ways-to-kickstart-your-organizations-social-community) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#body language](https://associationsnow.com/tag/body-language/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#gender neutrality](https://associationsnow.com/tag/gender-neutrality/) [#social change](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-change/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoASAE DELP Reunion 2025 & Introduction of New ClassAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/asae-delp-reunion-2025-introduction-of-new-class-2/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond Accessibility: Building Neuroinclusive Association CommunitiesMay 28, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/05/28/associations-now-presents-beyond-accessibility-building-neuroinclusive-association-communities/) - [VideoLeading the Way in Neuroinclusion with ASAE Research Foundation and MPIDecember 16, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/16/leading-the-way-in-neuroinclusion-with-asae-research-foundation-and-mpi/) - [VideoWhy Neuroinclusion Matters: Raising Awareness Across the Association CommunityDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/why-neuroinclusion-matters-raising-awareness-across-the-association-community/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F01%2F12%2Fdialect-society-gives-singular-they-the-thumbs-up%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !