RE: Gender neutral - any new developments in your neck of the woods?

["Anita Legsdin" <anita -dot- legsdin -at- watchmark -dot- com>]

In reply to the one who said "Because 'he' is standard language usage
for someone of unknown gender," I reply that some of the same writers
who subscribe to that principle write articles that contain sentences
like "When the nurse <insert action here>, she..." or "When the teacher
<insert action here>, she...". 

I always try to avoid using mismatched subject and pronoun. What I've
been doing (as others have already described):

* Change "when a user" to "when users" and use "they." (I don't like
this solution either, simply because I react very badly to the word
"user.")
* Use "you" whenever possible.
* Use the passive voice. This is usually only possible in API
documentation, where programmers are used to it.
* Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. I like Diane Evan's solution best--just say
"NO" to pronouns! 
* If you absolutely can't avoid the personal pronoun, go ahead and use
"he or she," but restrict it to once every 50 pages or so. I don't think
I've done this more than 5 times in the last 10 years. 

There's a book on this subject, but right now I can't remember the
title, and don't have time to Google for it. 

On an unrelated side issue, I'd LOVE to see the final, eternal
disappearance of Miss/Mrs, and a universal acceptance of Ms. There are
still text boxes that force women to choose from "Miss/Mrs./Ms", which
is totally ridiculous!


Anita Legsdin
Sr. Technical Writer
WatchMark
(425) 564-8135

Mistrust begets mistrust
Trust begets accomplishment
   --Tao Te Ching


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