Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2(pesnta.1.2) 9/5/84; site scc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!teddy!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!hao!hplabs!pesnta!scc!steiny From: steiny@scc.UUCP (Don Steiny) Newsgroups: net.nlang,net.women Subject: Re: Re: Gender-Specific Pronouns Message-ID: <315@scc.UUCP> Date: Tue, 15-Jan-85 00:55:03 EST Article-I.D.: scc.315 Posted: Tue Jan 15 00:55:03 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jan-85 01:36:42 EST References: <353@cadovax.UUCP> <775@druxo.UUCP> Organization: Personetics, Inc. - Santa Cruz, Calif. Lines: 18 Xref: watmath net.nlang:2440 net.women:4150 > > Is the proper role of grammarians to define what *proper* usage is or to > record what common usage is? > That depends. In most schools we are given books called "grammar books" with rules of "correct grammar" that must be memorized. This is called "perscriptive grammar". A linguist seeks to describe a language. That description is called "a grammar of the language." A linguist's grammar *describes* the language and makes no value judgements about what is "correct." -- scc!steiny Don Steiny - Personetics @ (408) 425-0382 109 Torrey Pine Terr. Santa Cruz, Calif. 95060 ihnp4!pesnta -\ fortune!idsvax -> scc!steiny ucbvax!twg -/