Which example illustrates gender-inclusive language development?

• A. Use of singular they to refer to a person of unknown or non-binary gender.
• B. Use of thou.
• C. Use of you for formal contexts only.
• D. Use of he as default.

Answer: (A)

Gender-inclusive language development is about shifting pronouns and forms so they don’t assume a person’s gender or default to male. The strongest example here is using singular they to refer to someone whose gender is unknown or who identifies as non-binary. This choice avoids gender labeling, supports inclusivity, and reflects ongoing changes in English usage that treat gender as non-essential in many everyday contexts. The other options don’t capture that shift: thou is an old, archaic form not aligned with contemporary inclusive practice; you used for formal contexts is about politeness or formality rather than gender; and using he as default reinforces a male-centered bias rather than expanding language to include all genders.