From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!npois!alice!rabbit!jj
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Title: Re: person
Article-I.D.: rabbit.594
Posted: Wed Jul  7 12:31:18 1982
Received: Thu Jul  8 01:08:05 1982
References: floyd.348

	

	My own idea of the proper address for general use is
the word "creature".  Don't you think that chairman, chairperson,
chairperchild, etc,etc,  is a bit humanocentric?  Why not
creature.  Why descriminate by species or genera, or even
kingdom?  
	Dear chaircreature:

Now THAT has a ring to it!

For those of you who take me seriously, I suggest that you reconsider
your sensitivity to the issue.  Until the language develops a non-gendered
pronoun and personification noun, the issue will not be solved.

Personally, I thought that chairman meant, from its roots,
"the hand of the chair".  I further thought that woman was from
the anglo diminutive of hand, i.e. little hand.  Whether or not
this is sexist is an independant arguement.

I do insist that the use of the word person in all non-specific references
to people is a very ineffecient use of language, i.e. 
"Whether or not the  knows, he/she 
is in for a surprise." is hard to read and in some cases ambiguous
if the third person  male is not used.  The convention of the third person
male for the linguistic equivelent of the algebraic "x" contains some
important information, and is difficult to replace.

In such cases I will use the third person male pronoun.  
In such cases I am trying to convey information, not to determine gender.
Please respond accordingly.

flame off:
rabbit!jj