Re: evolving language (hideous grammar)

Subject: Re: evolving language (hideous grammar)
From: Romay Jean Sitze <rositze -at- NMSU -dot- EDU>
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 15:01:52 -0600

On Wed, 2 Aug 1995, Janet K. Christian wrote:


> The English language is always evolving. That's precisely why we no longer
> use words like thee, thou, and dost in written or spoken English. It is
> time to recognize that the gender-neutral "he" must also go.

While I don't have the strong feelings many people today seem to have
about the use of a gender neutral pronoun to replace the use of "he or
she" in our writing (I'm perfectly happy to use whatever the house style
demands, but am aware that many are, like Janet, offended by the generic
"he"), I am fascinated by the way our language evolves over time. An
interesting tidbit that recently came to my attention was brought to mind
by this discussion: the term "girl" was originally a generic term for
both male and female children. How times have changed!

RoMay Sitze, rositze -at- nmsu -dot- edu


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