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From: marla@ssc-vax.UUCP (Peckham)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: 'they' as third person singular indefinate sex pronoun
Message-ID: <329@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 15:13:20 EST
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.329
Posted: Fri Jan 11 15:13:20 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Jan-85 01:21:00 EST
References: <488@mhuxt.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle, WA
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Jeff Sonntag asks about the use of the pronoun they:

>    " is anonymous;  if they finds out where I live, will
> they come bomb my house?"
> 
>     Now it may be that I've used this word inappropriately somehow, (though
> it seems to be right to me) but if not, then I guess I'll have to agree with
> the people who said that it looks and sounds very clumsy.

I feel the pronoun "they" should be used in the same manner as the
pronoun "you".  Noone makes the distinction between the singular you
and the plural (except in the South, with y'all).  Jeff, you
wouldn't say "if you FINDS out...", you say "if you FIND out..".
If you use the pronoun they as both singular and plural, in the same
way we currently use the pronoun you, people will get used to it,
and will not have any problem dealing with it.  All it will take is
some time for the "differentness" of useing they to wear off.

Marla Baer-Peckham
sac-vax!marla

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