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Taka Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

People

What is the pronoun for "a people (i.e an ethnic group or a nation)"?

It? Or they?
  

Top answer

" Having said that, hybrid sentences such as "We will not let this people have their liberty" are fairly easy to find within Google Books amongst presumably competent native writers, so it seems that there is some uncertainty about this point. In an extended passage, when you need to repeatedly refer to an ethnic group, I think it would become pretty strained to keep using "it", and you would really have to revert to "they". If you can work this in such a way that "a people" does not seem to be the direct grammatical antecedent of "they" then so much the better.

— GPY

  • " Having said that, hybrid sentences such as "We will not let this people have their liberty" are fairly easy to find within Google Books amongst presumably competent native writers, so it seems that there is some uncertainty about this point.
  • In an extended passage, when you need to repeatedly refer to an ethnic group, I think it would become pretty strained to keep using "it", and you would really have to revert to "they".
  • If you can work this in such a way that "a people" does not seem to be the direct grammatical antecedent of "they" then so much the better.
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4 Answers
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When you need direct agreement within the same sentence, I think it should ideally be "it"; for example, the quote: "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." Having said that, hybrid sentences such as "We will not let this people have their liberty" are fairly easy to find within Google Books amongst presumably competent native writers, so it seems that there is s
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So, simply put, strictly it has to be "it" but in reality it's not that strict and either would be acceptable. Is that what you mean?

GPYIf you can work this in such a way that "a people" does not seem to be the direct grammatical antecedent of "they" then so much the better.
So do you mean that if I have a choice, "it" would be ideal?
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The thing to avoid, in my opinion, is making phrases where "a people" is the direct antecedent of "they". For example, don't say "a people that valued their liberty". I would apply the same principle to any noun that is grammatically singular but refers to a group of people. For example, don't say "a party that lost their seat".* If you have to make sentences like this, then use "it". In other cas
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I see.

Thanks for the comments!
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