Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sbcs.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!hogpc!houti!ariel!vax135!floyd!cmcl2!philabs!sbcs!debray
From: debray@sbcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: language reform (ad nauseam)
Message-ID: <622@sbcs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-May-84 20:41:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: sbcs.622
Posted: Tue May  1 20:41:29 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 4-May-84 05:12:16 EDT
References: <7594@watmath.UUCP>, <16400057@uicsl.UUCP>
Organization: SUNY at Stony Brook
Lines: 31

<>
In my opinion, the important point here is neither the sanctity of English
nor the demands of vociferous groups, but clarity of expression and ease of
comprehension. That's what language is all about.

Let's face it - English isn't immutable.  No living language is.  So any
attempt to resist *all* change is doomed from the start.  On the other hand,
too much change may not be good either.  Suppose, for example, that my
office-mate decided to find the article "an" offensive, and began
campaigning that only the article "a" be used, on the grounds that the word
"an" was "insulting" to him. With all due respect to him, I would contend
that such a change would be unreasonable, since it would make some phrases
more awkward to say - that ease of expression would suffer.

Personally, I'm perfectly willing to go along with language reform where
clarity/ease of expression and comprehension does not suffer, e.g.
replacing "fireman" by "firefighter".  I refuse to pollute my text with
those convoluted constructions involving half a dozen "he-or-she"s to
satisfy somebody's political aspirations. And spare me that abomination, the
"s/he" construct, that's the devil to parse!

Let's be progressive, by all means, but let's not subvert linguistic
principles because it's politically expedient.
-- 
Saumya Debray, 	SUNY at Stony Brook

	uucp:
	    {cbosgd, decvax, ihnp4, mcvax, cmcl2}!philabs \
		    {amd70, akgua, decwrl, utzoo}!allegra  > !sbcs!debray
	       		{teklabs, hp-pcd, metheus}!ogcvax /
	CSNet: debray@suny-sbcs@CSNet-Relay