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From: andyr@ihuxa.UUCP (Ronald R. Anderson)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Re: "Their" as a substitute for his/her
Message-ID: <717@ihuxa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 11:33:41 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxa.717
Posted: Fri Jan 11 11:33:41 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jan-85 05:53:02 EST
References: <1315@dciem.UUCP> <643@bunker.UUCP> <1914@sun.uucp> <401@hou2e.UUCP> <1108@teddy.UUCP> <896@amdahl.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 25

> From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (gam)
> Aha!  I _knew_ someone would bite! ...
>  	"Everyone should sit down when they arrive."
> Still sound "funny" to you? ...

   Yes.  When who arrives?  Their Majesty the Monarch of England?

   While the point that "they" is a genderless substitute for "she"
   or "he" is well taken, it appears (to me at least) to open the
   door to greater ambiguity.  It is not apparent to me, based upon
   the limited context of the statement, to whom "they" refers.
  	"Our guest speakers will arrive shortly.  Everyone should 
	sit down when they arrive."
		- and -
  	"Standing in this room is forbidden.  Everyone should sit 
	down when they arrive."
   imply to me  a plural and a singular (respectively) reference
   by "they".  While "they" may be a valid singular-genderless
   pronoun, it retains the ability to be a plural pronoun. Clarity
   is important to understanding.
-- 
-- Ronald R. Anderson
   AT&T Bell Laboratories
   Naperville, Illinois
   [...ihnp4!]ihuxa!andyr