Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site cvl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!andie From: andie@cvl.UUCP (Diane L. Donaldson) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Net Language Use Message-ID: <542@cvl.UUCP> Date: Fri, 5-Aug-83 09:56:22 EDT Article-I.D.: cvl.542 Posted: Fri Aug 5 09:56:22 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 6-Aug-83 08:00:16 EDT Organization: U. of Md. Computer Vision Lab Lines: 24 No, Rosemarie, you are not alone. I too am often disturbed by the dominance (excuse the pun) of masculine terms in writing and speaking. Unfortunately, whenever I complain, some well-meaning soul invariably tells me that I'm being "too sensitive" to the problem; that somehow, because I am a woman and notice the problem, that is bad. People such as these say that I would probably want to adopt such terms as "personperson" for "mailman", etc. It's really not that hard to use neutral terms when dealing with both sexes; I always use "they" for he or she, and so does 70% of the population when speaking informally. The standard seems to be changing, but until it does, I will probably always flinch when confronted with sentences such as "Will everyone please pick up his book". Diane seismo!rlgvax!cvl!andie