Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!ucivax!gateway
From: leivian@dover.sps.mot.COM (Bob Leivian)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Guys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen
Message-ID: <2418@dover.sps.mot.com>
Date: 24 Sep 90 23:23:21 GMT
References: <3461@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Reply-To: Bob Leivian <leivian@dover.sps.mot.COM>
Organization: Motorola SPS, Mesa, AZ
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In article <3461@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> xrarp@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov writes:
>There are three common nouns for females...  Girls, Women, and
>Ladies. There are four common nouns for males...  Boys, Guys,
>Men, and Gentlemen.  (Many others exist, but they are hopelessly
>slangy.)  The problem is not just one of mapping from four cases
>onto three
>When I write informal memos to my colleagues, I address them as
>"Folks."  I don't expect to see this usage adopted widely, since
>it is pretty informal, but there is no doubt that it is gender
>neutral.  Does anyone have a better suggestion?

The missing term is GAL, I always heard guys and gals when I was
growing up.  The problem is that this term is somehow not thought of
as highly, and you are likely to draw a dirty look if you use GAL.  So
it now is creeping into use to use a sex-neutral GUY (go'in out with
the guys, hey you guys), but I see nothing wrong with "us gals are
going to the concert tonight" but some people are more sensitive.

If you want a third term to be neutral such as FOLKS I think that is
fine but sounds ackward.  And where I grew up it meant older
relatives.

  Bob L