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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!cwruecmp!decot
From: decot@cwruecmp.UUCP (Dave Decot)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Persons of Unknown Gender (!)
Message-ID: <693@cwruecmp.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Oct-83 09:29:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: cwruecmp.693
Posted: Fri Oct  7 09:29:33 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Oct-83 06:45:33 EDT
Organization: CWRU Computer Engr. Cleveland, Ohio
Lines: 22

Why, oh, why can't we use the pronouns

	them, they, their

as possibly singular, possibly plural, possibly male, possibly female?

Several million people (alas, "wrongly") already use these words in the
absence of more convenient ones when the person or group in question is
not predictable in advance:

	If anybody calls, tell them I'm in the shower.

And why do I get complaints for using a perfectly reasonable contrivance:

	You-all (Y'all) meaning "you collective beings"?

A French speaker has "vous" too, but at least they have "tu", too.


					Dave
					..!decvax!cwruecmp!decot