FILE - In this May 17, 2016, file photo, a new sticker designates a gender neutral bathroom at Nathan Hale high school in Seattle. On college campuses and in workplaces, across social media and in deference to nonbinary people, gender-neutral pronouns are more than just a new wave of political correctness. Pronouns “they” and “them” seem to be winning the race of acceptance as gender neutrals. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

NEW YORK | On college campuses and in workplaces, gender-neutral pronouns are more than just a new wave of political correctness. They’re the focus of debate that stretches back hundreds of years.

FILE – In this May 17, 2016, file photo, a new sticker designates a gender neutral bathroom at Nathan Hale high school in Seattle. On college campuses and in workplaces, across social media and in deference to nonbinary people, gender-neutral pronouns are more than just a new wave of political correctness. Pronouns “they” and “them” seem to be winning the race of acceptance as gender neutrals. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
FILE – In this May 17, 2016, file photo, a new sticker designates a gender neutral bathroom at Nathan Hale high school in Seattle. On college campuses and in workplaces, across social media and in deference to nonbinary people, gender-neutral pronouns are more than just a new wave of political correctness. Pronouns “they” and “them” seem to be winning the race of acceptance as gender neutrals. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

University of Illinois language historian Dennis Baron says early pronoun scrappers were usually more concerned with grammatical correctness over a keen commitment to inclusivity in avoiding the generic “he” and singular “they” as a replacement.

In 1884, the invented pronoun “thon” was publicized by the coiner, C.C. Converse, as an expedient pronoun for all genders.

This time around, “they” and “them” seem to be winning the race of acceptance as gender neutrals. Baron says time will tell whether they’re afforded broad acceptance.