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From: rgh@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Re: Gender-Specific Pronouns
Message-ID: <1939@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 2-Feb-85 02:30:47 EST
Article-I.D.: inmet.1939
Posted: Sat Feb  2 02:30:47 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Feb-85 05:26:17 EST
Lines: 41
Nf-ID: #R:druxo:-78600:inmet:7300036:000:1603
Nf-From: inmet!rgh    Jan 31 12:46:00 1985

J. Giles writes:
> Languages change in response to the needs of people to communicate with
> each other in an efficient way.  Changes occur because, by growing
> convention, the new structure conveys the intended meaning more clearly.

Languages change in response to the desire to say new things,
or say old things in new ways.   "Efficiency" doesn't necessarily have
much to do with it.

> The use of 'they' with a singular referent does not improve the clarity
> of the sentence it is in, in fact it degrades the clarity. 

The construct can improve clarity, if what you are trying to
make clear is that you don't wish to specify the sex of your
referent -- either because you don't know, because the
referent is polyvalent (like "everyone"), or because you're
being coy.  ("A friend came over last night, and they stayed
till 3".) One of the "new things" many English speakers wish
to say is that using "he" in these cases bothers them, in
part because of its sexist connotation.  My observation is
that this construct is quite common in speech (among the well
educated, too), and that it isn't quite acceptable in
contemporary writing.  Sure it sounds awkward in places --
but so, increasingly, does generic "he". 

> A:  Ms. Johnson's secretary says that they will come by tomorrow.
> B:  Are both Ms. Johnson and her secretary coming?

Good point, but
  A: Mr. Johnson's secretary says that he will come by tomorrow.
  B: Which one is coming?

[Or even better:
  A: Dr. Who's assistant says that he will come by tomorrow.
  B: Who's coming?
  A: No.
]

	Randy Hudson
	{ihnp4,harpo,ima}!inmet!rgh