jefff@cadovax.UUCP (Jeffery H. Fields) (01/09/85)
The suggestion of using genderless pronouns like "they" and "their" instead of "he/she" and "they/their" is lauded by some as a positive social action to eliminate sexism. Some linguists and English purists point to the grammatical error of using a plural pronoun for a singular antecedent in doing so. There is a grammatical solution to this dilemma that has not appeared on the net. This solution would involve using "one" and the possessive "one's" for a singular antecedent and using "they" and "their" for plural antecedents. -- Jeff Fields {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!jefff Pax Vobiscum.
features@ihuxf.UUCP (M.A. Zeszutko) (01/11/85)
From: jefff@cadovax.UUCP (Jeffery H. Fields) > The suggestion of using genderless pronouns like "they" and >"their" instead of "he/she" and "they/their" is lauded by some as a >positive social action to eliminate sexism. Some linguists and >English purists point to the grammatical error of using a plural >pronoun for a singular antecedent in doing so. > There is a grammatical solution to this dilemma that has not >appeared on the net. This solution would involve using "one" and the >possessive "one's" for a singular antecedent and using "they" and >"their" for plural antecedents. While the use of "one" and the possesive "one's" may be grammatical, there are times when that construct would add unnecessary distance between the writer and the reader. The grammatically correct "one" has connotations of being too proper, too precise. If one is hoping to give the impression that one is "just folks", the ungrammatical use of "they" and "their" for the singular is much more in keeping with the vernacular. -- aMAZon @ AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL; ihnp4!ihuxf!features "Love your self's self where it lives." -- Anne Sexton