Re: Sexist Language Revisited

["Dick Margulis " <margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net>]

Michael Lessin <redmiguel -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
>
>Hi Tony,
>
>With readers in mind and not our consciences, I think "he" is best but
>you could add a caveat in Welcome conventions noting the use of male
>pronoun as a language convention and not gender bias.

That's one approach. When I stop for coffee at a truck stop, though, I see a fair number of women truckers--many driving teams with their husbands, but some driving solo. YMMV. I think the singular they is ideally suited to this situation. How many truckers are going to go all Grammarian on you and insist that they is plural.

>
>I have read many baby books recently with he one chapter she next or
>some other more confusing mix and I find it disconcerting when reading.

I'd find it disconcerting also. My pediatrician SO insists that standard medical jargon in pediatric literature is to use he for the baby and she for the mother--consistently (unless the discussion is about a particular baby whose sex is known).




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