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:Re: evolving language (hideous grammar) From:Romay Jean Sitze <rositze -at- NMSU -dot- EDU> Date:Thu, 3 Aug 1995 15:01:52 -0600
On Wed, 2 Aug 1995, Janet K. Christian wrote:
> The English language is always evolving. That's precisely why we no longer
> use words like thee, thou, and dost in written or spoken English. It is
> time to recognize that the gender-neutral "he" must also go.
While I don't have the strong feelings many people today seem to have
about the use of a gender neutral pronoun to replace the use of "he or
she" in our writing (I'm perfectly happy to use whatever the house style
demands, but am aware that many are, like Janet, offended by the generic
"he"), I am fascinated by the way our language evolves over time. An
interesting tidbit that recently came to my attention was brought to mind
by this discussion: the term "girl" was originally a generic term for
both male and female children. How times have changed!
