“A student is working on their own project”: a systematic review of epicene singular they by learners of English

Gender-neutral language serves as a powerful tool for promoting gender equality and inclusivity in today’s gender-diverse world. Among such linguistic devices, singular they, proposed as an alternative to generic he and the paired form he or she, has recently garnered notable attention as an epicene pronoun, used to refer to a generic individual whose gender is unknown or unspecified. In this systematic review, we synthesized existing empirical research on singular they as an epicene pronoun among learners of English as a second or foreign language. We also surveyed the methodological characteristics of these studies and summarized the factors influencing learners’ engagement with singular they. An analysis of 18 studies yielded three key findings. First, researchers employed diverse data sources to investigate how learners from various first language backgrounds used, perceived, and processed singular they in gender-neutral contexts. However, most studies focused on college-aged learners’ use of singular they by utilizing elicitation instruments. Second, while earlier studies reported a predominant use of generic he, recent research revealed an upward trend in using singular they, signaling a gradual shift in epicene pronoun usage among learners. Learners generally did not experience difficulty processing singular they, but mixed attitudes – both positive and negative – along with discrepancies between perception and practice were observed regarding singular they. Third, a range of learner, linguistic, and contextual factors were shown to influence learners’ pronominal preference for singular they over generic he and he or she, underscoring the complexity of this linguistic phenomenon. Pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed.