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From: steiny@idsvax.UUCP (Don Steiny)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.nlang
Subject: Re: Re: Non-sexist language (historical)
Message-ID: <170@idsvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Jun-85 20:34:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: idsvax.170
Posted: Wed Jun 19 20:34:21 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Jun-85 03:52:51 EDT
References: <374@cmu-cs-edu1.ARPA>
Organization: Independent Consultant - C/UNIX, Natural Language
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Xref: utcs net.women:5977 net.nlang:3184

>
> Unfortunately, the problem with dictionaries in general is that they will
> list a common usage of the word, even if it is not correct.  
>
	Horsefeathers!  Who determines the standards of correctness?
"Correct" is what the "correct" people say, and who is considered
"correct" changes.
> 
> It may have been correct back then to use the term, but now, it is just the
> sign that you want to show that you are not a MCP (or if a female, that you
> are a feminist).  The other possibility is that you don't speak English
> well.
> 
>             Colin Rafferty { Math Department, Carnegie-Mellon University }

	Just listen, even though it is taught in normative grammar
classes that "they" (and so on) is always plural, in speech
people use "they" as an indefinate pronoun all the time.  For instance
we say:

	1) No one was sick, were they?

NOT:

	2) ?No one was sick, was he?


	3) Someone won the lotto, didn't they?

NOT:

	4) ?Someone won the lotto, didn't he?

	"One" is singular, as in

	5) One is often amused by humor.

	6) *One are often amused by humor.

	The funniness of #2 and #4 is a powerful argument that when the 
antecedent is indefinate for number or gender, you don't know how
many people there are (if any) or what their sexes are (sex is). 

	The idea that dictionaries just record what people
use and not what is "correct" is an amusing one.  Who 
should the dictionary makers consult for the "correct"
usage?  A dictionary?  Your 9th grade English teacher?
William Safire?   Language is used by people to communicate
with other people.  It is the people who use it who give
a language its life and they are the final arbitrators
of what it is.  

pesnta!idsvax!steiny
Don Steiny - Computational Linguistics
109 Torrey Pine Terr.  Santa Cruz, Calif. 95060
(408) 425-0832