Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site teddy.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!teddy!mlf From: mlf@teddy.UUCP (Matt L. Fichtenbaum) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: "Their" as a substitute for his/her Message-ID: <1108@teddy.UUCP> Date: Mon, 7-Jan-85 09:31:07 EST Article-I.D.: teddy.1108 Posted: Mon Jan 7 09:31:07 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 02:29:03 EST References: <1315@dciem.UUCP> <643@bunker.UUCP> <1914@sun.uucp> <401@hou2e.UUCP> Reply-To: mlf@teddy.UUCP (Matt L. Fichtenbaum) Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass. Lines: 26 Summary: ... Aw, people... 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_. 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."