TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:A grammar-gender question From:Suzanne Townsend <ac158 -at- CCN -dot- CS -dot- DAL -dot- CA> Date:Thu, 29 Jun 1995 08:30:27 -0300
On Wed, 28 Jun 1995, nancy ott wrote:
> You could alternate "he" and "she" examples throughout your manual, if
> this situation crops up frequently. That's what the authors of "What
> to Expect the First Year," and "What to Expect the Toddler Years" did
> with their descriptions of child behavior. I thought it worked pretty
> well.
I agree with Nancy that the "What to Expect..." book is a good example of
tech writing in that it's clear, etc. Nevertheless, although the gender
use throughout the book was cute, and worked well for a book on children
(especially because the readership, as new parents, are generally more
sensitive to whether "he" or "she" is used), I am not at all convinced
this approach would fly in any other type of publication. As a parent, I
thought the switching around was cute. As an uptight computer user, I
think it would annoy me.
BTW, if you do use this approach, note that the book uses one gender or
the other within any particular section.
As an aside to anyone who is or expects to be expecting: the "What to Expect
when You're Expecting" book was invaluable to me during my first-time
pregnancy; I highly recommend it!
Suzanne Townsend <ac158 -at- ccn -dot- cs -dot- dal -dot- ca>
"Just look at the breeze!"
-- Roncaism of the Week --
