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From: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.nlang
Subject: Re: The closed class of pronouns
Message-ID: <2089@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Jun-85 01:26:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.2089
Posted: Fri Jun 21 01:26:16 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Jun-85 06:47:36 EDT
References: <290@wuphys.UUCP> <678@sphinx.UCHICAGO.UUCP> <300@wuphys.UUCP> <515@psivax.UUCP>
Reply-To: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold)
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
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Xref: watmath net.women:6017 net.nlang:3241

Back in Shakespeare's day apparently, lower class British included
a third person non-gendered pronoun "a" (pronounced ah).  You'll find it
in Mistress Quickly's narration of Falstaff's death, among other places.

I  have a friend who's writing a science fiction novel and using this
for people of as yet undetermined sex.  (The accusative form is the
same as the nominate; the possessive is as.)  It's a little confusing for
th firsst few pages but quite easy to get used to.  It would be even easier
to get used to haring it, as it wouldn't sound nearly as much like another
work--as it looks like the indefinite article in its written form.

--Lee Gold