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From: tll@druxu.UUCP (LaidigTL)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Sexism in language
Message-ID: <1055@druxu.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Apr-84 15:29:14 EST
Article-I.D.: druxu.1055
Posted: Fri Apr 13 15:29:14 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 00:43:34 EST
References: <2219@phs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 21

> ...
>                                                            Until
> the early 1700s the generic pronoun in English was "they", used with
> a plural verb.  The change to "he" meaning "he or she" was the result
> of an ACT OF (the all-male) PARLIAMENT!!!  Maybe what we need is a
> constitutional amendment to right this linguist wrong.
> ...
> 
> Sherry Marts
> !decvax!duke!phs!sam

This does not match my reading of Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus"
(first published in 1604) nor Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" (from
later in the 1600s).  In both of these, I see a mix similar to more
modern usage -- plural constructions are often used, but so are singular
constructions with "he" used for an unknown person of either sex.  Of
course, both these writers were male.

	Tom Laidig
	AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
	...!ihnp4!druxu!tll