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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.)