When a user visits the website, they will be assigned a session ID, and it will be transmitted to them in the HTTP response and stored in their browser.
There will always be people who resist this kind of construction, not because they're sexist but because the singular 'they' sounds clumsy to modern ears, its long history notwithstanding. Instead, try something less periphrastic:
Visitors are assigned a session ID, which is transmitted in the HTTP response and stored in the browser.
not because they're sexist but because the singular 'they' sounds clumsy to modern ears, its long history notwithstanding
That's the thing though: it doesn't "sound clumsy to modern ears" for many people.
I use "singular-they" completely without thinking; as far as I can recall, I've never explicitly decided to use it, it just comes naturally when it is appropriate. The same seems to be true for many others as well.
However for some people (such as yourself, I presume), this obviously isn't the case.
From there, it's simply a numbers game.
I have no idea where those numbers stand today, but I don't recall anybody ever even noticing my usage, so it can't be too disturbing for those I interact with. It's hard for me to judge how many other people use this construction simply because it's so natural that I don't tend to notice it when they do.
Still, given that it perfectly addresses an otherwise awkward deficiency in English, in a way that fits in naturally with other English usage (e.g., singular/plural "you") and has both historical precedent and widespread modern adoption, the future of "singular-they" looks pretty bright...
Around where I live, people pronounce a popular street name incorrectly. It confuses people who speak the language of which the street name originates. The folk who use the incorrect pronunciation argue "well, we all know what we mean."
I'm guessing Austin, and either Guadalupe, Koenig, or Manchaca (or all three) for the street.
Results may vary depending on the number of singular his and hers in the original paragraph:
When visitors are each presented (the visitor's) personalised session page, each visitor will need to enter the visitor's name, credit card, as well as the visitor's birth date.
Comments
When a user visits the website, they will be assigned a session ID, and it will be transmitted to them in the HTTP response and stored in their browser.
There will always be people who resist this kind of construction, not because they're sexist but because the singular 'they' sounds clumsy to modern ears, its long history notwithstanding. Instead, try something less periphrastic:
Visitors are assigned a session ID, which is transmitted in the HTTP response and stored in the browser.
Shorter, clearer, more direct, and gender-free.
That's the thing though: it doesn't "sound clumsy to modern ears" for many people.
I use "singular-they" completely without thinking; as far as I can recall, I've never explicitly decided to use it, it just comes naturally when it is appropriate. The same seems to be true for many others as well.
However for some people (such as yourself, I presume), this obviously isn't the case.
From there, it's simply a numbers game.
I have no idea where those numbers stand today, but I don't recall anybody ever even noticing my usage, so it can't be too disturbing for those I interact with. It's hard for me to judge how many other people use this construction simply because it's so natural that I don't tend to notice it when they do.
Still, given that it perfectly addresses an otherwise awkward deficiency in English, in a way that fits in naturally with other English usage (e.g., singular/plural "you") and has both historical precedent and widespread modern adoption, the future of "singular-they" looks pretty bright...
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I'm guessing Austin, and either Guadalupe, Koenig, or Manchaca (or all three) for the street.
Results may vary depending on the number of singular his and hers in the original paragraph:
When visitors are each presented (the visitor's) personalised session page, each visitor will need to enter the visitor's name, credit card, as well as the visitor's birth date.
Also very passive, which I think has been frowned upon in writing styles since the latter half of the 20th century.