On 3/07/20 1:52 am, Paul Moore wrote:
What *is* the correct inclusive way to refer to an unidentified person
in a technical document...
My impression is that commonly accepted language rules
and usage are lagging behind,
I don't know if "lagging behind" is the right term, seeing as there
seems to have been a fairly good answer available for about 700
years.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they:
"The singular they emerged by the 14th century, about a century after
plural they. It has been commonly employed in everyday English ever
since then and has gained currency in official contexts. Singular they
has been criticised since the mid-18th century by prescriptive
commentators who consider it an error. Its continued use in modern
standard English has become more common and formally accepted with the
change toward gender-neutral language, though many style guides continue
to describe it as colloquial and less appropriate in formal writing."
Personally I'd go with that and tell any prescriptivists who object
to go and jump in a bitbucket.
--
Greg
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