Them

Them
Name	Them
Caption	Pronoun and deictic term used in English and other languages
Birth date	Ancient
Occupation	Linguistic term, pronoun, deictic expression
Notable works	Usage across literature, media, law, activism

Them

Them is the third-person plural pronoun and deictic expression used to refer to groups, outsiders, or unspecified entities in English and related contexts. It functions both grammatically and socially, appearing in legal texts, literary works, political rhetoric, and everyday speech. Scholars across linguistics, sociology, literary studies, gender studies, and political science analyze its roles in identity formation, othering, and inclusive language reform.

Etymology and Definitions

The pronoun derives from Proto-Germanic *þaimaz and Old English þām, tracing through historical linguistics alongside cognates in Old Norse and Gothic; comparisons appear in works on Indo-European reconstruction such as those by scholars affiliated with Oxford University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, Yale University. Dictionary and corpus projects at institutions like the Oxford English Dictionary and the British Library document shifts from demonstrative uses in medieval texts to modern pronoun functions; related studies cite archives at the Bodleian Library and the Library of Congress. Definitions in grammar handbooks produced by publishers such as Cambridge University Press and Routledge distinguish between accusative, objective, and emphatic forms, linking to debates in descriptive linguistics led by research centers at University College London and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.

Cultural and Social Uses

Them operates as a marker of inclusion and exclusion across societies, invoked in public discourse from parliamentary debates in the House of Commons and the United States Congress to municipal councils like New York City Council and Greater London Authority. Activists and advocacy organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, GLAAD, and Stonewall (charity), debate its use in campaigns addressing marginalization. Cultural studies programs at University of California, Berkeley, New York University, and Goldsmiths, University of London analyze "them" in relation to social movements such as Black Lives Matter, Me Too movement, and diasporic communities represented in festivals like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and institutions like the Smithsonian Institution. Historical episodes—such as rhetoric during the French Revolution, the Cold War, and the Rwandan genocide—illustrate how deictic terms function in propaganda circulated by entities like BBC and Voice of America.

Representation in Media and Literature

Writers and artists employ "them" to craft narrative distance and otherness in works ranging from classical epics housed at the British Museum to contemporary novels published by Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. Criticism in journals such as The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and academic outlets at Princeton University Press examines deployments in texts by authors like Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Toni Morrison, and speculative fiction from H. P. Lovecraft to Margaret Atwood. Film and television studies at University of Southern California and critique in outlets like Variety and The Guardian track portrayals in movies screened at festivals like Cannes Film Festival and series broadcast on networks like BBC One, HBO, and Netflix. Performance pieces at venues such as The Globe Theatre and galleries at the Tate Modern use gestures toward "them" to interrogate identity, often discussed at conferences organized by associations like the Modern Language Association and the American Sociological Association.

Linguistic Variations and Pronouns

Across languages, equivalents and analogues to "them" differ: German uses forms documented in resources from Deutsches Wörterbuch, French uses objective clitic paradigms recorded by Académie Française, and Scandinavian systems are studied at Uppsala University. Debates about singular they and neopronouns engage scholars at Stanford University, University of Toronto, and advocacy groups such as Transgender Europe and GLSEN. Style guides from institutions like The Associated Press, The Chicago Manual of Style, and universities including Columbia University have updated policies addressing use; linguistic databases at Linguist List and projects at the Max Planck Institute catalog cross-linguistic pronoun systems and case marking relevant to "them" analogues.

Psychological and Sociological Perspectives

Psychologists and sociologists investigate cognitive processing of plural pronouns and social categorization using experimental labs at MIT, Princeton University, and University of Michigan. Research published in journals like Psychological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and Cognition links pronoun use to in-group/out-group dynamics studied by scholars affiliated with Stanford, Harvard, and the London School of Economics. Fieldwork by ethnographers associated with Smithsonian Institution projects and global surveys by organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations examine how "them"-framed narratives affect public health messaging, migration discourse involving institutions like the International Organization for Migration, and community cohesion in settings studied by UNESCO.

Controversies and Political Implications

Use of "them" in political rhetoric has sparked controversies in contexts from immigration debates before the United States Supreme Court to parliamentary motions in the European Parliament and campaigning strategies employed by parties like the Conservative Party (UK), Democratic Party (United States), and Alternative for Germany. Media coverage by outlets such as The Washington Post, The Times (London), and Al Jazeera highlights how deictic othering intersects with legislation, judicial rulings at venues such as the International Court of Justice, and policy debates at organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Academic critiques in journals published by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press analyze legal language reforms, anti-discrimination statutes, and advocacy campaigns by NGOs including Human Rights Campaign and Care International that seek to mitigate exclusionary uses.

Category:Pronouns