Why has nobody ever proposed using "it" as a neutral pronoun? I mean, that's exactly what it is, the singular neutral pronoun! English is lucky enough to actually have it, so why not use it when you're referring to an unspecified person? I guess the reason is that "it" is usually used to refer to inanimate objects and that it has assumed a bit of a negative connotation, but I still think it's preferable to contrived alternatives like "(s)he", or "they".
Actually, using
they in the singular is not contrived at all. It comes naturally to most first-language English-speakers, and is attested in English as far back as the fifteenth century, iirc. In fact, I'd argue that at this point
he in the gender-neutral sense feels more contrived than singular
they to the majority of first-language English-speakers, never mind
she, he or she,
ey, or whatever else somebody comes up with.
It would simply never work for the reasons politicus outlined.
Loving the way this thread has evolved btw.
