Telephoningthey

Telephoningthey is a term used in sociolinguistics to describe the use of the pronoun they within spoken telecommunication to refer to a person whose gender is unknown or nonbinary, or to maintain gender-neutral reference in dialogue that occurs over the phone or in voice messages. The term also appears in discussions of inclusive language in automated telephony and voice assistant systems.

Origins of the term began in online linguistic and communication forums in the early 2020s, as scholars and practitioners explored how singular they is used in everyday speech and how speech interfaces adapt to diverse pronoun practices. Telephoningthey is not a standardized label but a descriptive point of reference in debates about pronoun usage in oral communication.

Usage and examples: In natural speech, singular they can appear in telephonic contexts when referring to a person whose gender is unknown or nonbinary, for example: “The caller said they will arrive soon.” In transcripts and voice-enabled systems, prompts and responses may avoid gendered forms and reflect nonbinary reference, such as, “If the caller leaves a message, they will be notified.” The phenomenon is discussed in relation to accessibility, inclusivity, and the design of user interfaces that handle pronouns.

Impact and reception: Proponents argue that telephoningthey supports inclusive language and reduces misgendering. Critics cite potential ambiguity in fast-paced conversations and complications for automatic transcription, translation, and search indexing. The term remains a topic of ongoing discussion in linguistics and telecommunication studies.

See also: singular they, pronoun usage, inclusive language, telephony.