Re: Re[2]: generic "he"

["Doug, Data Librarian at Ext 4225" <engstromdd -at- PHIBRED -dot- COM>]

Mike LaTorra observes, of the he/she debate:

*********************************
So the debate boils down to this: Who sets the standard?
That, my friends, is what the fracas is all about.
*********************************

I asked my wife, holder of a masters in English and on her way to a PhD
one day, as she was explaining that dictionaries had evolved away from a
fixed set of rules to tracking the "living language."

She said the authorities were "skilled users of the language."

My interest piqued, I suggested, "Like writers?"

"Yes," she replied, followed by a slight hesitation.

"Like technical writers?" I said, before she realized where this was
headed.

"I guess so," she reluctantly agreed.

So, there you have it.  In addition to whatever duties your employer has
given you, you also hold part of the Office of the Keys for the language.
"Whatsoever we bind in documentation shall be bound in English; whatsoever
we loose in documentation shall be loose in English."

Skoal,

Doug                            "Women are designed for long,
ENGSTROMDD -at- phibred -dot- com           miserable lives, whereas men are
                                 designed for short, violent ones."
                                  - Estelle Ramey


Live long & prosper,
Mike LaTorra