Note: This is all just a random idea I had a few days ago. I am mostly curious about what others think of it. I know it’s not gonna be actually implemented anywhere. I wish it was that easy lol

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Many people here have probably had someone complain to them that “They/Them pronouns are so confusing” while the same person accepts “you” as singular and plural.* Well, I propose a partial fix for both. Not in natural language, but at the very least text, because both of those bug me personally, even if just a little. I know any language that sees any actual use is going to be imperfect, but that doesn’t stop me from sharing random ideas on the internet.

* Edit: Irrelevant and off-topic. Just keeping it here for archival(?) purposes.

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First some background info:

In German, there’s actually a similar problem, at least when spoken. It is, however, fixed in writing.

• “sie” -> “she”
• “Sie” -> “you” (singular, formal)
• “ihnen” -> “them”
• “Ihnen” -> “you” (singular, formal, different grammatical case)

Spot the difference? It’s the capital S and I. So, why not take after the British Museum and steal things from a foreign country language?

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How to fix this, according to a random person on the internet:

• “They/Them” -> Singular person with neutral pronouns
• “they/them” -> Multiple people

And while we’re at it, we can also do

• “You” -> The person you are talking to
• “you” -> A group of people, or often more importantly, a general you

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The Problem:

Sentences. The first letter of a sentence is always capitalized, which brings confusion back. This is a glaring weak spot, but since this idea is never going to be used anyways, I can’t be bothered to actually find a good workaround. If You have any ideas though, feel free to share them.

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So, what do you think? Is this idea fundamentally stupid, because everything is just fine as it is, or could a solution to imprecise pronouns actually be handy, even if this one is far from perfect?