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...
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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...