Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site mtxinu.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!dual!unisoft!mtxinu!ed From: ed@mtxinu.UUCP (Ed Gould) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: "Their" as a substitute for his/her Message-ID: <242@mtxinu.UUCP> Date: Wed, 9-Jan-85 02:50:37 EST Article-I.D.: mtxinu.242 Posted: Wed Jan 9 02:50:37 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jan-85 00:29:39 EST References: <1315@dciem.UUCP> <643@bunker.UUCP> <1914@sun.uucp> <401@hou2e.UUCP> <1108@teddy.UUCP> Organization: mt Xinu, Berkeley, CA Lines: 32 > I'd like to vote for the other side... > > "Their" is _plural_! > > and sentences such as "everyone should sign their name" are _wrong_. > > If you don't believe that, then try using "they" instead of "he" or "she:" > > "Everyone should sit down when they arrives." > > since "arrives" has a singular subject (he/she, from "everyone"). > > Let's keep "they, them, their" for plurals and not corrupt them while > attempting to fix he/she! > > -- > > Matt Fichtenbaum > "Our job is to rescue fires, > not put out your cat." Why? Defining "they" as *both* singular and plural solves the problem, is in moderately common colloquial use, and isn't hard to get used to once you start. I haven't seen another solution that is as easy to use or as elegant. English is a *living* language, after all. What's right is what people use. -- Ed Gould mt Xinu, 739 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94710 USA {ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed +1 415 644 0146 (I'd rather not be parochial.)