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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!zehntel!dual!ptsfa!rob
From: rob@ptsfa.UUCP (Rob Bernardo)
Newsgroups: net.nlang,net.women
Subject: Re: Gender-Specific Pronouns
Message-ID: <435@ptsfa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 20:53:12 EST
Article-I.D.: ptsfa.435
Posted: Fri Jan 18 20:53:12 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 21-Jan-85 07:47:56 EST
References: <353@cadovax.UUCP> <775@druxo.UUCP> <19509@lanl.ARPA>
Organization: Pacific Bell, San Francisco
Lines: 27
Xref: watmath net.nlang:2448 net.women:4160

>         "That is the only person to ever set foot on Mars.  They loved it!"

The discussion of gender-free third person singular pronouns is missing
an important distinction between two contexts.

In one context, the writer/speaker has a specific person in mind
and knows the gender of that person. In this case, the use of 'they'
sounds awkward:

         John was the only person to ever set foot on Mars.  They loved it!

SOME people who are arguing against the use of 'they' are using examples
like this to show how awkward this sounds. This is an unfair example
since I have not seen anyone on the net argue for this sort of use of 'they'.

In the other context, reference is being made to a hypothetical person,
or any one of several people, whose gender is therefore unknown.
In this case, the use of 'they'/'their'/etc. sounds quite acceptable to me,
especially when the antecedent is made plural.

	Everyone needs to post their hours on time sheets starting Jan 1.

-- 


Rob Bernardo, Pacific Bell, San Francisco, California
{ihnp4,ucbvax,cbosgd,decwrl,amd70,fortune,zehntel}!dual!ptsfa!rob