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Picture of Kalleh
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I recently wrote an article with 2 co-authors where our editors changed our pronouns to "s/he." Is this a newly accepted gender neutral pronoun? I did find it in AHD.
 
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Picture of zmježd
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I've seen it. I've used it. It's been around a while. I'd say more than a decade. I like it because many distain it. The real question is: does it count as one or two words?


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
 
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Picture of Richard English
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I don't care for it any more than I care for the use of the plural pronoun "they" to agree with a singular and will usually re-write to avoid the problem.

Having said which, I suspect that the plural "they" will become common and replace the singular he/she, in much the same way as the plural "you" has replaced the singular "thee/thou".


Richard English
 
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Picture of BobHale
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My biggest objection to s/he (apart from my belief that it's ugly) is that if you have to read out a passage containing it it's intrinsically unpronouncable and has to be replaced by one of the other forms.

I said before though that "they/their" has a long history of gender neutral singular usage and I'm a supporter of it.


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
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I agree with everything Bob says. I'd rather write "he or she" (or "she or he") than this ugly formation.


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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Picture of BobHale
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quote:
Originally posted by arnie:
I agree with everything Bob says. I'd rather write "he or she" (or "she or he") than this ugly formation.


Everything?

Oh, the power, the responsibility...


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
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Picture of zmježd
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Use of they as a singular gender-netural pronoun has been around since at least Chaucer's time. Is six centuries not a long enough time for something to be accepted. It is no worse than using aren't as the question form of be with the first person singular. I guess I like /she because of its virgule.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
 
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Picture of BobHale
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quote:
Originally posted by zmjezhd:
Use of they as a singular gender-netural pronoun has been around since at least Chaucer's time. Is six centuries not a long enough time for something to be accepted.


Precisely why I like it.


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
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Picture of zmježd
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I like it, too, Bob, and sorry I didn't read your entry before responding to Richard's.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
 
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quote:
Everything?


Well, everything in your post above mine. Smile Perhaps not everything.


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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<Asa Lovejoy>
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One may avoid the problem by writing - or saying - "one." It may sound stuffy, but it works.

I do use s/he in writing, however.
 
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Picture of Kalleh
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The problem with using "they" is that those prescriptivists think you are ignorant about grammar. And, yes, I probably care too much about what people think. I have already have been looked at askance by our editors when I have made suggestions, based on our Wordcraft discussions. For example, I have asserted that I can end a sentence in a preposition; or that I can use the passive voice once in awhile; etc.
 
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Picture of zmježd
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It doesn't matter what you say or write: prescriptivists will think you're an ignorant clod. (Not you personally, K, but all of us mere speakers and writers.) They tell us that Chaucer and Shakespeare often made grammatical mistakes. I am reminded of that famous record sketch by the Firesign Theatre: Everything You Know Is Wrong.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
 
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I prefer "they" to s/he - but I prefer to re-write to avoid the problem even more.


Richard English
 
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If you adopt s/he for writing, how do you pronounce it in speech? Or does your speech continue with the he-vs-she dilemma?

Another problem is that by any logic that requires you to use s/he, you must also devise substitute pronoun for him/her, for his/her, and for his/hers. And there things begin to get a little awkward, not to say silly. "Give himmer the hammer. It is hizzer hammer. It is hizzers." Or perhaps "Give herrim the hammer. It is herris hammer. It is hersis."
 
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Picture of zmježd
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Pronouncing it is almost as fun as writing it: /S@hi/.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
 
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<Asa Lovejoy>
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Pink fish, wordnerd. Or is that read herring? Heck, I dunno... Anyhoo, when one knows the gender, one uses "him" or "her." Only with people of ambiguous gender does the problem arise. One may say, "sh'he" without too much non-English lip and tongue contortion.
 
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Picture of Kalleh
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I know a lot of people, including Wordcrafters, think that he/she is awful. I don't mind it at all and will use it from time to time. However, I agree with Richard that often I will just try to reword the sentence.

While I don't like s/he, I did find the following about s/he in the OED:

"1977 Gay News 24 Mar. 6/3 The questionnaire asks congregations whether they would call a minister to their pulpit if s/he were gay. 1978 Amer. Educator Winter 65 A child's sexual orientation is determined before s/he enters school. 1982 Benedicta! Fall 13 Can s/he figure out your address?"
 
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