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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>
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> = 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