--On Mon, Apr 27, 1998 8:37 am -0700 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > > On Mon, 27 Apr 1998, Mark Baker wrote: > >> On Mon, Apr 27, 1998 at 06:05:51PM -0400, Bob Hilliard wrote: >> > include the plural". Then all of the clumsy constructions using >> > plural pronouns (they, their) to refer to singular entities (Leader, >> > Secretary, etc.) should be changed to use singular masculine pronouns >> > (him, his). >> >> "They" is not only a singular, it is also widely accepted as a singular >> pronoun, and has been used as such by not only ordinary people but also >> great writers for hundreds of years. >> > > I am sorry to burst that bubble, but do you care to centest that argument > with my english teacher?
Happy to. Send him over here (to England). I'll have a go at them for your spelling while I'm at it ;) Personal taste aside, 'they' is certainly grammatically acceptable as a gender free singular or plural noun. Although, being so free, it is also ambiguous. Personally, I find it more comfortable to read than any of the alternatives. Other people find 'they' clumsy, and prefer 'he'. I understand this point of view perfectly, just don't agree with. I'm not naive enough to believe that repeated use of 'he' is sex discrimination. However, I personally feel that 'he' as used in modern English, does in fact convey a definite sense of maleness, which is why I sometimes avoid it. > Who will take something seriously if its main constitution is > riddled with grammatical errors? Who of the same will take it seriously if > it is discriminatory? Who, then, will read it if it is twice as long as it > needs to be? > > I say everybody is too paranoid. Who cares what it looks like? Do > it effectively and use the most common method, whoever's toes it steps on. > Don't be afraid to put "he" because somebody will surely slander you for > your nievety. Personally, I would like the constitution to read comfortably, more than anything else. I fear that, as a legal document, this is unlikely anyway :( The old text-books frequently started with the phrase 'he embraces she'. Sweet, I think :) Jules /----------------+-------------------------------+---------------------\ | Jelibean aka | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | 6 Evelyn Rd | | Jules aka | | Richmond, Surrey | | Julian Bean | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | TW9 2TF *UK* | +----------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ | War doesn't demonstrate who's right... just who's left. | | When privacy is outlawed... only the outlaws have privacy. | \----------------------------------------------------------------------/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
