Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdahl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!sun!amdahl!gam From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (gam) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: "Their" as a substitute for his/her Message-ID: <896@amdahl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 9-Jan-85 01:26:05 EST Article-I.D.: amdahl.896 Posted: Wed Jan 9 01:26:05 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jan-85 00:35:02 EST References: <1315@dciem.UUCP> <643@bunker.UUCP> <1914@sun.uucp> <401@hou2e.UUCP> <1108@teddy.UUCP> Organization: Blue Mouse Trailer Resort, Hellmouth, CA Lines: 37 > = Matt Fichtenbaum > There have been a couple of notes proposing or condoning "their" as > a singular possessive, to eliminate the gender inherent in "his" or "her." > I'd like to vote for the other side... > > "Their" is _plural_! > > and sentences such as "everyone should sign their name" are _wrong_. Aha! I _knew_ someone would bite! _You_, sir, are wrong. There is a long and distinguished history of using "their" preceded SINGULAR noun. > 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"). Now that doesn't sound natural at all, does it? No one I know would say that. But they WOULD say: "Everyone should sit down when they arrive." Still sound "funny" to you? You know very well that people use "they" like that in speech every day! > Let's keep "they, them, their" for plurals and not corrupt them while > attempting to fix he/she! You obviously missed my posting of the justification of "they" with singular antecedents. I can post it again or mail it to you if you like. -- Gordon A. Moffett ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,sun}!amdahl!gam