Re: Gender

[Jeff Hanvey <jewahe -at- HOTMAIL -dot- COM>]

How far do we push the genderless language issue?  Will we no longer
have any words that contain "man" (there goes "mantle" and "semanitics"
or "master?" (there goes our masters degrees).

Whatever changes do come into effect should be easy to use and well
defined so that people who don't use language like we do can make an
easy switch.  The bottom line is that 'e would be just one more thing
that they'd have to learn and contextualize, and most peole would be
resistant to that.  Remember, too, that the change would be required
both in written and spoken English.  A lot more work for the average
speaker.

I say we should allow "they" in the singular to avoid the gender issue;
it's used in spoken English anyway, and sneaks into written English by
those who haven't learn , or just plain didn't understand, the rule. It
could be just another quirk of our language.

Jeff Hanvey
Memphis, TN
>Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 11:37:52 +0100
>Reply-To:     Roger Jones <Roger -dot- Jones -at- RJPC -dot- DEMON -dot- CO -dot- UK>
>From:         Roger Jones <Roger -dot- Jones -at- RJPC -dot- DEMON -dot- CO -dot- UK>
>Subject:      Gender
>To:           TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>
>At 22:05 25/09/98 -0700, Ali Khatir wrote:
>>What an excellent idea. Might I also suggestx using;
>>
>>'e instead of he/she;
>>'es instead of his/her(s);
>>'e instead of 'man (as in fireman -> firee, manhole cover -> ehole
>>cover, to man something -> to 'e something, etc.)
>>
>>and ridx English of its gender problem too.
>>
>>The only thing that worries me isx the pronunciation.
>>
>
>We can start immediately by turning webmaster into webster. :)
>
>All the best
>
>Roger Jones, Publisher
>Publishing -at- rjpc -dot- demon -dot- co -dot- uk
>
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>
>
>


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