>And I'm actually now curious if you know that you're != your, because you've done it again and autocorrect generally gets that right in my experience.
I just wanted to exercise the bounds of your pettiness.
> the statements I made are axioms
"Singular they is more common than not" is not an axiom. "Singular they is commonly considered correct" is not an axiom. "I believe singular they to be correct grammar" is an axiom compatible with what you keep quoting from Stallman, but I'm not asking what you believe, I'm asking why you believe it, and so far you've said "common usage", which again, I repeat, applies to singular they, despite all of your objections.
It may not be common in your cultural circles, but widely circulated newspapers are about as "common usage" as one can get. If you don't like singular they, that's ok. But please admit that, don't claim that it is incorrect when, in most circumstances, it is not.
Ah, the old "I was just testing you" excuse. I think that one went out of favor when I was in third grade or so.
It's not common in the vast majority of cultural circles -- I know because in my travels all over the world for the past 25 years I've spoken with thousands of people who speak many variants of the language, both as a first language and not. In general, if you ask anyone who has studied English grammar whether it's correct or not, they will tell you it's not. The only place you'll find otherwise is inside small enclaves of "progressive" thought who are trying to change the language to suit their feelings. You put a large amount of credibility on those enclaves. Most of the rest of the world does not care one bit about them.
"people who learned strict British grammar", which is the case for many international/esl speakers do not speak common English.
If that's your metric, then "elevator" is not in common use (lift would be the correct terminology). I put a lot of credibility on American English, where singular they is more accepted.
You're the one bringing up all this talk of progressives and politics. I'm just making descriptive statement about common usage. If "the broader United States" is an enclave, that's news to me.
For what it's worth, you're speaking to at least one person who has studied English grammar and disagrees with you. And I previously mentioned a couple of common authorities on grammar who share a similar opinion. You wrote that off. But I think it may be worth taking a moment to reflect on the possibility that your deeply held beliefs about grammar are not as common or inviolable as you seem to believe.
As for your comment below about appeals to authority, I'd just remind you that the appeal in question was originally made by you when you said
>if you ask anyone who has studied English grammar whether it's correct or not, they will tell you it's not.
Yay for appeal to authority again, it's even better if you're appealing to yourself!
Elevator is in common use throughout the US and abroad -- "lift" is more common in former British Colonies (Hong Kong is one I specifically recall because I've spent time there, but in the Philippines and Thailand it's elevator), but the vast majority of the English speaking world would use elevator now.
I just wanted to exercise the bounds of your pettiness.
> the statements I made are axioms
"Singular they is more common than not" is not an axiom. "Singular they is commonly considered correct" is not an axiom. "I believe singular they to be correct grammar" is an axiom compatible with what you keep quoting from Stallman, but I'm not asking what you believe, I'm asking why you believe it, and so far you've said "common usage", which again, I repeat, applies to singular they, despite all of your objections.
It may not be common in your cultural circles, but widely circulated newspapers are about as "common usage" as one can get. If you don't like singular they, that's ok. But please admit that, don't claim that it is incorrect when, in most circumstances, it is not.