Date:  Mon, 25 Sep 1995 09:36:34 -0400

From:  Merri Lisa Johnson <mj906388[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]OAK.CATS.OHIOU.EDU>

Subject: Re: copy-ed re web usage urrl (fwd)



On Fri, 22 Sep 1995, wachal robert s wrote:



>               COPYEDITING-L Digest 1088

>

> ------------------------------

> Jordana Kanee Signer <jkaneesigner[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]inforamp.net> writes:

>

> >Personally, I think that "they" should always take a plural

> >verb. Other languages that use pronouns interchangeably as

> >either singular or plural, depending on the context, always

> >conjugate the verb in the plural. E.g. "Vous" in French is

> >always conjugated the same way (root + "ez", e.g. "chantez"),

>

> The only change I think likely with singular "they" is the

> development of the reflexive "themself" (versus "themselves"

> in the plural), parallel to "yourself".

>

> ------------------------------

Ok I'm confused as to who said what originally, but I just wanted to cast

my vote for the singular "they"--already in use and a drain on red

markers everywhere. Also, I came across the reflexive "themself" in a

student paper this very weekend, and had an ethical crisis: to mark or

not to mark. Of course I marked. But I don't know that I stand behind

that mark.



Merri Lisa

Ohio University>