Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site zinfandel.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry From: berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval) Newsgroups: net.nlang,net.women Subject: Re: Gender-specific responses to s/he (their) Message-ID: <295@zinfandel.UUCP> Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 17:30:33 EST Article-I.D.: zinfande.295 Posted: Tue Jan 8 17:30:33 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 06:13:54 EST References: <218@cmu-cs-cad.ARPA> <299@scc.UUCP> Reply-To: berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval) Organization: Zehntel Inc., Walnut Creek CA Lines: 16 Xref: watmath net.nlang:2350 net.women:4005 Summary: All you folks complaining over the use of 'they' and 'their' as non-gender- specific singular pronouns should read the book on usage by Jim Quinn. Sorry I cannot remember the title, but it will be obvious which of the Quinn books the library has is the one I mean. SOmeone posted a quote from it recently, too. I used to be a grammar fascist too, until I read this book. Simply put, 'they' and 'their' have been used in this way for centuries, and people are not about to stop now. If it's good enough for Shakespeare, Milton and Wordsworth, it's good enough for me. Furthermore, s/he and the ilk are ugly and tend to derail my train of thought. -- "Take this //JOB and run it!" Berry Kercheval Zehntel Inc. (ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry) (415)932-6900