On Mon, 27 Apr 1998, Bob Hilliard wrote: > I suggest that Section B. "Use of language and typography" be > amended to include a statement similar to "Where the context permits, > the masculine shall include the feminine, and the singular shall > include the plural". Then all of the clumsy constructions using > plural pronouns (they, their) to refer to singular entities (Leader, > Secretary, etc.) should be changed to use singular masculine pronouns > (him, his). >
Standard usage in legal documents and the like is "he/she," I think. Using just "he" would annoy lots of people. Sort of gratuitously political. "he/she" is neutral. "he" causes flamewars from liberals like me, and "they" causes flamewars from the grammar police. "he/she" resolves the issue and most people are mostly happy, since the damage is purely cosmetic. The other poster is correct, however, that from a linguistic standpoint "they" has been in common usage for hundreds of years. If anyone wants to read more a good article is "Language and the Culture of Gender: At the Intersection of Structure, Usage, and Ideology," Silverstein, _Semiotic Mediation_, 1995. Thanks, Havoc Pennington http://pobox.com/~hp -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]