Russ Allbery <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > MJ Ray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > However, balance of examples and judicious use of "one" and "a > > developer" would be better than butchering the English language and > > making the document more confusing by using "they" to stand for a > > definite singular quantity without context. > > "They" has been used for exactly that purpose in English for centuries and > is used naturally and routinely by English speakers in common speech. [...]
No, it hasn't. It is used naturally for indeterminates. Using it for singulars sounds stilted and contrived. The developer is clearly not an indeterminate. This was covered in a thread around http://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2005/01/msg00360.html Thanks, -- MJ Ray (slef) Webmaster for hire, statistician and online shop builder for a small worker cooperative http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ http://mjr.towers.org.uk/ (Notice http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html) tel:+44-844-4437-237 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
