PC vs. euphemism

[Emily Saunders]

If I may also note, to the probable horror of strict grammarians,  
there has been a growing tendency to use the third person plural  
pronoun when referring to a single individual of undetermined gender.   
If a person wished to be succinct (avoid the awkward "his or her") and  
yet indicate that the gender could go either way, "they" might  
consider the 3rd person plural.  Another example of language and  
attitudes sorting themselves out and evolving?  Perhaps, in time,  
"they" will be acceptable and even recommended in college level essays  
as a genderless 3rd person singular pronoun...?

Maybe.

Regards,

Emily Saunders

On Mar 29, 2008, at 7:43 PM, Genevra Gerhart wrote:

> Ladies and gentlemen: (If you will pardon the expression),
>
> Alina said:  There are PC elements that some older generation people  
> find
> objectionable, such as "his or her" instead of "his" referring to some
> unknown person, and some similar substitutions where the reference  
> to ANY
> person was traditionally in masculine gender.
>
> Quite right:  I am old, and I do find "his or her" offensive. Just  
> "his"
> used to be enough to indicate both sexes, and as we know, brevity is  
> better.
> But the reason should be made clear: these long "euphemisms" are and  
> have
> been used, _especially in the academic community_ especially among  
> deans and
> above, to demonstrate their PC-ness to either hide or to sugar-coat an
> intention not to hire or promote a female of the species.  (I have  
> actually
> heard of someone's using this device to avoid doing the unthinkable.)
>
> My argument is that it is not the language that rules (as some would  
> make us
> think), but life itself. What we must change is the life part, and  
> language
> will change meaning with us.
>
> Genevra Gerhart
>
> ggerhart at comcast.net
>
> www.genevragerhart.com
> www.russiancommonknowledge.com
>
>
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