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#83260 10/10/02 06:06 PM
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I am starting a campaign. For over 30 years, we have struggled, contrived twisted methods of expression, and been in endless, pointless conversations to avoid sexism in our language. I have believed for a long time that the root cause is not sexism. The problem is the lack of a third person, singular, non-gendered, (but not neuter like "it"), personal pronoun in the English language. I've thought about making one up but nothing seems to sound right. He, she, e? Her, him, ? Her, his, ?

The best route may be to borrow from another language. Do you know of such a word(s)? Would you send this to someone who might?



#83261 10/10/02 06:44 PM
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Lander:

Welcome to our group.

Why do we NEED a new word? For many years he and his have been expected to bear the burden of she and her(s); what is so darned precious about PCness that we have to shift this burden elsewhere. He and his should be considered masculine OR neuter, as the context requires. And if the ultra feminists don't like that I say we castrate them.

TEd



TEd
#83262 10/10/02 06:48 PM
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That's funny! Refer to he as neuter and then offer to castrate the feminists as well...


#83263 10/10/02 07:07 PM
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If thou'll accept the use of plural pronouns in singular usages thou'll see that we have had thine answer for the last four hundred years or so.


#83264 10/10/02 07:14 PM
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OH! Drat. I meant that He should refer to both masculine and feminine, according to the context.



TEd
#83265 10/10/02 07:18 PM
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Perchance, is that thy practice?


#83266 10/10/02 07:22 PM
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thy practice?

You better believe it.


#83267 10/10/02 07:28 PM
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So if I were the administrator of a contest that you just won a million dollars from, and I wasn't sure if Faldage was a male or female, and you were standing among a group of people, you would be ok if I said, "Give it to them."


#83268 10/10/02 07:33 PM
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Hey, I wouldn't mind splitting the money with myself.


#83269 10/10/02 07:45 PM
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Seriously, though. Why don't you think what you recommend is common practice?


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