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From: jew@usl.UUCP (James E. Wilson)
Newsgroups: net.singles,net.nlang
Subject: Re: Grammar and Spelling on the Net
Message-ID: <691@usl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Feb-86 21:50:35 EST
Article-I.D.: usl.691
Posted: Thu Feb 27 21:50:35 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 22:48:31 EST
References: <235@pttesac.UUCP> <33100034@ISM780.UUCP> <658@frog.UUCP> <11949@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <135@spar.UUCP>
Reply-To: jew@usl.UUCP (James E. Wilson)
Distribution: net
Organization: University of (SW) Louisiana CACS
Lines: 19
Xref: watmath net.singles:10565 net.nlang:4232

In article <135@spar.UUCP> ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) writes:
>>> =  dianeh@ISM780
>>  =  Anthony Albert
>
>>>Unfortunately, poor grammar more often just makes the
>>>person sound stupid and tends to make me immediately prejudiced against
>>>any validity their statements might otherwise have. 
>>               ^^^^^ ?!?
>>> If a person can't take the time to learn their own language,
>>                                           ^^^^^
>>I am reminded of a parable which mentions stones and glass houses.
>
>    Sorry, Anthony. Current usage is tending towards singular `their'
>    in cases where the gender is unknown, as has been the natural
>    tendency of english for at least ~300 years. 
>-michael

...among the illiterate, perhaps.  Sorry, my vote is with Anthony.
                                                 JW