The phenomenon singular they and Dutch speakers of English.
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2016-07-01
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en
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This paper tries to determine to what extent Dutch advanced speakers of English accept the English phenomenon singular they. This phenomenon allows English speakers to use the plural pronoun they in reference to a singular human antecedent. Even though the languages are closely related, Dutch does not have the same phenomenon. Based on analyses by Audring (2009, 2013), Newman (1992, 1998) and Siemund (2002, 2008) three different factors are determined for both languages that determine speakers’ choice of pronouns. Based on these a grammar acceptability judgement test tested both English native speakers and Dutch advanced speakers of English. The results allowed for three conclusions. Firstly, Dutch speakers do not fully accept the use of singular they. Secondly, when they do, they seem to adhere to the English acceptance pattern. Thirdly, Dutch speakers accept singular they much more in contexts where Dutch allows for the plural pronoun as well.
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