Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site lanl.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!linus!philabs!cmcl2!lanl!crs From: crs@lanl.ARPA Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: gender specific pronouns again Message-ID: <28228@lanl.ARPA> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 16:19:01 EDT Article-I.D.: lanl.28228 Posted: Fri Jul 12 16:19:01 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 04:05:37 EDT References: <539@ttidcc.UUCP> Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory Lines: 36 > The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) > >Polly writes: > >I once had to use a textbook where the genders were simply alternated, > >sometimes within the same sentence. The effect was _very_ distracting. > >Having to deal with a subject that changes sex three times in one sentence > >slows the reading and information absorption process enormously (at least > >it did for me), probably because it's so unexpected and unusual. > > Now, the funny thing about this posting is that part and parcel of this > discussion is that we are looking for a pronoun that doesn't leave an > impression of sex. Polly indicates that the changing use of the pronoun > was distracting because it changed "sex" three times. > > What does that do to the stance that the pronoun "he" already stands for > everybody (and not just male people)? But when "he" is alternated with "she" (which *is* gender/sex specific) the (artificial) contrast produced *suggests* the nongeneric meaning of "he" where, if used normally, the context suggests the generic meaning or, at worst, suggests nothing and leaves the selection to the judgment of the reader. At least it does for me. > Seems to me it helps support the > claim that the use of a gender specific pronoun encourages a sense of > sexuality in the object of that pronoun, and that "he" is a gender specific > pronoun, not a neuter one. Polly is usually satisfied by not publicizing a > stand on one side or another of an issue, but it seems to me those of you > out there who do take a stand can't ignore these factors. See above. -- Charlie Sorsby ...!{cmcl2,ihnp4,...}!lanl!crs crs@lanl.arpa