Hmmm...interesting, BobY (or "The Cobalt Avenger" as I once dubbed thee!
) So if there is a gender basis for this form deferential (which sounds something akin to the German
Die and
Der for feminine and masculine connotation respectively) why doesn't this translate into other nouns with the same suffix usage such as payee, referee, attendee, etc.? Do you (or tsuwm?) have a citation that stipulates this usage in English, it would be intersting to see it. Or is it just a sort of common consensus thing like actor and actress, where, now, it seems, except for the Academy Award categories, actor is the word of choice for all thespians, with women using it in self-description as readily as men. But, then, we could never scrap princess for prince, could we? And when, approximately, did the gender forms of employe/ee fall out of favor in usage? You are now the second person next to our editor, BobY, that I ever heard of using this form! Thanks for the elucidating background on this!
