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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!dr_who
From: dr_who@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: sexist language -- Chris's brother weighs in
Message-ID: <1749@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 11-Aug-83 20:50:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1749
Posted: Thu Aug 11 20:50:40 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Aug-83 17:22:34 EDT
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 13

Instead of "he", "they", or even "it", how about "she"?  One author I've
read used "he" and "she" for the universal pronoun in alternate paragraphs.
That's a pretty good solution, but it can be distracting -- one tends to be
continually aware of this detail with each new paragraph.  I propose the
logical solution:  "she" all the time.  If use of "she" for the universal
pronoun were common, or if it were used throughout an entire book instead of
every other paragraph, it would soon fade from one's consciousness (i.e., no
longer be distracting).  After all these years of "he", it wouldn't be
sexist to try "she" for a while.

Turnabout is fair play!  (Well, sometimes, anyway.)

--Paul Torek, U of MD College Park