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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!intelca!proper!gam
From: gam@proper.UUCP (Gordon Moffett)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Replacement for he/she
Message-ID: <1011@proper.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 12-Feb-84 23:33:29 EST
Article-I.D.: proper.1011
Posted: Sun Feb 12 23:33:29 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Feb-84 06:31:28 EST
References: <367@rayssd.UUCP>, <28500001@uo-vax1.UUCP>
Organization: Proper UNIX, San Leandro, CA
Lines: 26

>>I vote for using 'HE'!!!  That is standard english usage an there is
>>no reason to change.
>
>One reason to change should be obvious!  There are a number of 'she'
>people around who are NOT included in standard english usage.  Perhaps
>you don't think that is a problem, and that women should be invisible
>in mixed-gender references in our language.  If you feel the choice of
>gender pronoun is trivial, try changing all 'he' references to 'she' and
>see how reading it makes you feel.
>
>                                           --Jane Laursen
>                                             .../uoregon/janel

(hoo! Isn't it getting warm in here?)

While it is obvious that `he' is the masculine pronoun, it is less
obvious that `he' is also an English word meaning `[def 2.] the
person; the one; anyone...' [from Webster's New World Dictionary].

This is not to say there is no problem here, but to illuminate the
intent of usage.  `He' is sexist to the interpreter of the word --
the word itself, in one of it's meanings, is in fact inclusive.
-- 
Gordon A. Moffett
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