[Ads-l] RES: Oppressive Language List

Amy West medievalist at W-STS.COM
Tue Jul 6 12:28:08 UTC 2021


On 6/27/21 00:00, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> Date:    Sat, 26 Jun 2021 11:45:11 -0400
> From:    Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject: Re: RES: Oppressive Language List
>
> I use “themself” all the time myself, despite my mailer/phone telling me it’s a typo, whenever the antecedent is “they” (sg.) or when I want to be non-committal.  If it’s good enough for 2d person (yourself, sg. vs. yourselves, pl.), it’s good enough for 3d.
>
> LH

Thank you to Larry & Joe for this.

Yeah, I hadn't thought of it as a distinct form for singular "they."

---Amy West

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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