'We' for 'I' in writing

[Roger Shuy]

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       RonButters at AOL.COM
> Subject:      'We' for 'I' in writing
>
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> If we have discussed this before, I apologize. What I want to know is how on=
> e=20
> might communicate to the folks who created MicrosoftWord's grammar checker=20
> that some of their advice is totally crazy. For example, in a legal document=
>  I=20
> wrote:
>
> "During the academic year 2005=E2=80=936 I will chair both the Linguistics P=
> rogram=20
> and the Department of English at Duke. ..."
>
> Word insists that this should be changed to read, "During the academic year=20
> 2005=E2=80=936 we will chair both the Linguistics Program and the Department=
>  of English=20
> at Duke. ..."
>
> I have gained a little weight since January, but not enough to qualify me as=
> =20
> plural. Nor am I the queen of England (who is reported to have once said, "W=
> e=20
> and our husband are glad"). Nor am I a nurse--who apparently can get away wi=
> th=20
> saying things like "It is time for our enema" (oh, but that is a different=20
> 'we'--here it means 'you'). Could this be some kind of Yankee reflex of the=20
> mysterious, ghostly, singular Y'ALL?=20
>
> Does ANYBODY teach students to write papers in which they refer to themselve=
> s=20
> as crowds of people or stuffy old queens? That is soooo 1930s, it seems to m=
> e=20
> (us?)
>
Tell it you're beside yourself with frustration and anger. Oops. That might
only encourage them.