He is a pronoun used to refer to a male person or animal that has already been mentioned or is known.
From Old English “hē,” a masculine third-person pronoun. It is related to similar pronouns in other Germanic languages like German “er.”
For centuries, “he” was often used as a so-called ‘generic’ pronoun for any person, which shaped how people imagined roles like “doctor” or “leader.” Modern English is slowly shifting away from that, using “they” more instead.
For centuries in English, 'he' was prescribed as the generic pronoun for a person of unknown gender, especially in law, philosophy, and technical writing. This 'generic he' effectively centered men as the default human subject and erased women and nonbinary people from many texts.
Avoid using 'he' as a default or generic pronoun. Use 'they' as a singular gender-neutral pronoun when gender is unknown or irrelevant, and respect individuals' stated pronouns.
["they","he or she","she or he","the person","the individual"]
When revising or discussing historical texts, note how the 'generic he' excluded women and nonbinary people and how inclusive pronoun practices have emerged through feminist and queer linguistic activism.
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