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From: dsn@umcp-cs.UUCP (Dana S. Nau)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Grammar and Spelling on the Net
Message-ID: <3403@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 28-Feb-86 10:57:21 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3403
Posted: Fri Feb 28 10:57:21 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 23:47:51 EST
References: <658@frog.UUCP> <62800002@ism780>
Reply-To: dsn@maryland.UUCP (Dana S. Nau)
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 34


I have no idea who posted this article (I saw it quoted by someone else):

> ... Dana Nau sez:
> >  Correct usage would have been "If a person can't take the time to learn
> >his/her own language ..."
>  ^^^^^^^
> Dana, YOU'VE *GOT* TO BE KIDDING.  Tell you what, show both versions of
> the sentence to the head of your English department.  You're a CS major,
> and (I happen to know) Diane has a degree in English, go argue about
> computer languages if you must, but leave english grammer to the experts.

That makes it sound like I was attacking Diane--which I wasn't.  I was
actually responding to someone who (missing the point of the discussion) was
talking about "their" versus "they're."

I'm not an expert, but as the author of more than forty published papers I
think I've developed a feel for what is good writing style.  Strictly
speaking, correct usage would probably be "If a person can't take the time
to learn *his* own language ...," but I happen to agree with feminist
arguments that such usage has unfortunate connotations.  In informal
conversations I would use "their" just as Diane did--but in formal writing I
wouldn't dare use it, because "their" is plural and "a person" is singular.
Instead, I would either use "his/her" or try to rephrase the sentence to
avoid the problem entirely.

PS:  I'm not exactly "a CS major"--I'm a professor.  Also, I assume you mean
"grammar" instead of "grammer"!

How did all this get started on net.singles, anyway?
-- 

Dana S. Nau,  Comp Sci Dept,  U of Maryland,  College Park,  MD 20742
dsn@maryland		seismo!umcp-cs!dsn		(301) 454-7932