Date:  Fri, 16 Feb 1996 18:36:48 -0800

From:  SETH SKLAREY <crissiet[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IX.NETCOM.COM>

Subject: Re: silly rules of grammar



>Here is one more good example of why it makes sense for speakers of English

>to use "they" as the indefinite pronoun of singular reference (rather "he"or

>"she"):

>

>>From the *South Florida Sun-Sentinel," 15Feb96, 9B/1-2: "POMPANO

>BEACH--Police are trying to figure out who would want to kill James Maxwell,

>and why.

>   "Maxwell, 40, who owned a commercial fishing boat and an electronics

>company, was killed outside his upscale waterfront condominium at 8:10

>Tuesday night, police spokeswoman Sandra King said.

>   " 'It was a hit,' King said. 'Whoever killed him waited for him a great

>deal of time and, when he showed up, they emptied their gun.' "

>   " . . . neighbors saw a white man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a

>medium build . . . hanging around Maxwell's home Tuesday night."

>

>If the "police spokeswoman Sandra King" had chosen to say either ". . . he

>emptied his gun" or ". . . she emptied her gun" would have implied that she

>knew more about the shooter's identity than she did. The use of the

>gender-neutral "they . . . their" not only avoids this trap, it also allows

>for the possibility that more than one person was involved in the killing. In

>this case, "they . . . their" also eliminates a potential confusion of "he"

>the victim and "they" the killer(s).

>

>The good sense of ordinary speakers of the language once again triumphs over

>mindless prescriptivism!



I agree that there should be a better way. Police spokespersons used to be

former journalists or TV or Radio people who had some knowledge of syntax

and grammar.



Seth Sklarey

crissiet[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ix.netcom.com

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