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From: asa@rayssd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Replacement for he/she
Message-ID: <367@rayssd.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Jan-84 10:27:18 EST
Article-I.D.: rayssd.367
Posted: Fri Jan 27 10:27:18 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Jan-84 00:52:50 EST
Organization: Raytheon Co., Portsmouth RI
Lines: 33

<<<<< >>>>>>>>

   I would like to hear some thoughts on solutions to the gender elimination
problem in writing. Here are some of my own thoughts:

	1) substitute the word 'one'. This has the advantage that lthe word
		exists, and that a similar formation occurs in other languages
		(see African and Amerindian). It has the disadvantage of
		stretching the semantic field of an existing word, thus
		demanding more attention to context.
	2) substitute the word 'it'. This has the advantage that it makes use
		of an existing singular form, thus involving only the deletion
		of the other two forms now used. It has the strong disadvantage
		that it makes people feel that they are being referred to as
		objects, and is therefore highly resented.
	3) collapse the singular/plural distinction, in a manner similar to
		the collapse of the singular/plural 'you' distinction. This
		has the advantage that the process has been used before, and
		that those who want a plural can add '-all', as Souterners
		have done for the 'you' form. Thus, 'they' becomes the neutral
		singular, and gender disappears.
	4) do a back-formation from the plural, to form a consistent set with
		the 'I/we' forms. For example, we might use 'thai/they' or
		'thee/they'. The latter would be interesting, because we
		could resurrect a perfectly good word, puting it to use in
		a different way. This has the advantage that it emphasizes
		the neutrality of the form, and that the precedent already
		exists. It has the disadvantage of psychological newness.

These are the only rational solutions I have thought of so far. It seems
to me that we need to do something, to get out of the current endless
tug-of-war over whether the default for the general case shall be 'he'
or 'she'.