RE: Pronouns with User

[Philomena Hoopes <Phila -at- VIPS -dot- com>]

In ten years of technical writing, including both software and
mechanical/electrical (air-pollution control) systems, I have never found a
sentence that could not be structured gender-neutrally. Innumerable ways can
be found to recast a sentence to make gender-specific pronouns superfluous.
Speaking from my experience, I can think of no justifiable reason to use
such pronouns in documentation.

<<"the user shouldn't bathe in the reactor cooling bin because he will
probably die">>

The pronoun "he" is by definition sex-linked; women are not normally
referred to as "he". To make this sentence genuinely gender-neutral, I would
suggest:
WARNING: Bathing in the reactor cooling bin will cause critical injury or
death. 

Brief, to the point, not cluttered with gender-related distractions.

Thanks,
Phila <on the soapbox again, looking anxiously over her shoulder for Eric's
looming shadow>
***********
Philamena Hoopes
Vi PS  the i-technology of healthcare
Phila -at- vips -dot- com <mailto:Phila -at- vips -dot- com> 
410-832-8330 ext 8845


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