The Vine: July 10, 2007
Hi Sars,
I’m sure this is a common one but haven’t found it in previous postings — and need it for a presentation.
“Spokespersons” or “spokespeople”? I’ve found both in a variety of contexts, none of which seem more or less authoritative on the subject, so I would love your point of view!
Thanks!
Spin Doctor
Dear Doc,
Garner does not have a specific note on the issue. He does examine in some depth the problems presented by trying to degenderify “-man” nouns like “chairman” and “ombudsman,” and his general recommendation is to shorten to noun to something like “chair” where it’s possible to do so, just to avoid torturing the language into shapes it isn’t meant for. But he doesn’t mention “spokesperson,” and while he has a note on “people” vs. “persons,” it doesn’t really apply to this. And “spokes” is no good.
You have two choices here, I think: 1) find a synonym for “spokesperson” that doesn’t present this sort of difficulty, and use that instead; or 2) pick one and go with it. “Spokespeople” sounds colloquial to me, but then “spokespersons” sounds a bit too formal in the other direction, so I don’t quite know what to tell you; it depends on the context.
I don’t think either one is incorrect, though; at worst, you pick one that’s a bit inelegant. I’d go with “spokespersons.”
Tags: grammar
