Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site proper.UUCP 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 { allegra, decvax!decwrl } !amd70!proper hplabs!intelca!proper!gam