tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post4051305982401808986..comments2024-03-27T19:11:37.620-04:00Comments on You Don't Say: Maybe it's time to let go of itJohn McIntyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559687583130468871noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-56353726471500798002023-11-20T17:44:42.281-05:002023-11-20T17:44:42.281-05:00After hearing too many instances of a person tripp...After hearing too many instances of a person tripping all over himself to be politically correct and use 'they' and 'them' all over the place, I must say that the greatest, and my only, reason for objecting to the singular 'they' is that it is cumbersome, inexact, and often confusing.<br /><br />Let's say my friend who lives alone, Jim, is giving a small dinner party to which you and I are both invited along with a couple, Ted and Sally. You inquire if I need a ride to Jim's. <br /><br />Me: "No, they're going to pick me up early so I can help out."<br /><br />You: "What? Ted and Sally are picking you up early? Is everyone but me going early to help?"<br /><br />Me: "No, not Ted and Sally. Jim is picking me up."<br /><br />You: "But you said 'they.' I'm confused."<br /><br />It is one of the rules that just makes life simpler. The singular 'they' is a needless complication that makes clear communication take twice as long!Jeannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-82229783297445964882022-10-29T20:12:51.547-04:002022-10-29T20:12:51.547-04:00The issue of agency interests me. I keep hearing a...The issue of agency interests me. I keep hearing and reading ‘is able to’ where I would simply say ‘can’, and often where the subject is an abstraction or inanimate object. Is can/could falling out of use? And has all the nonsensical argument about can/may perhaps precipitated the shift indirectly? Way back when I was teaching, I occasionally discussed the matter of agency with students, and found that they simply didn’t see the (obvious, I thought) comic potential in examples. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-10797552887792586622022-10-15T10:04:37.952-04:002022-10-15T10:04:37.952-04:00Coming soon: You kids get off my lawn!Coming soon: You kids get off my lawn!Kim Matthewsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-44650018338212260682022-10-14T21:41:46.540-04:002022-10-14T21:41:46.540-04:00At my new employer, where I am glad to be, I'v...At my new employer, where I am glad to be, I've been told there is no singular they. I do my best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-71906382877301854532022-10-14T17:42:52.107-04:002022-10-14T17:42:52.107-04:00The difficulty I found with the self-described pr...The difficulty I found with the self-described prescriptivists is that they haven't read the texts. I'm forever greatfulmentors and executives were well aware of that fact of life.Paul Wigginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12815833510152809238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-38639764266971505542022-10-14T13:18:41.913-04:002022-10-14T13:18:41.913-04:00Two points: Your naysayer correspondent writes &q...Two points: Your naysayer correspondent writes "precision exists for a reason." This is undoubtedly true, but what is this reason? This harkens back to the now-quaint complaint about "contact" as a verb. This, we were told, is unacceptable vague. We must specify whether this contact is to be made in person, by letter, by carrier pigeon, etc. And yes, it is certainly possible to imagine a situation where this level of specificity is important. In those situations, the more specific words are still available. But more often it is not. If you disallow the broader word, then there are many situations where the writer is forced into knots to convey the thought with the appropriate level of specificity. The rule is an active liability to good writing.<br /><br />So with forbidding the singular "they." The absence of a traditional gender-neutral singular third person pronoun introduces tension into the language. Traditional English pronouns work admirably when gender and number are both known and relevant. It works rather less well when either is unknown or irrelevant, forcing clumsy workarounds. Singular "they" mostly solves the problem, because it turns out that number only rarely is critical. But we already knew that, with the four-century old singular you. Adapting "they" is, it turns out, a very traditional English approach to pronouns. And when gender is both known and important, the other pronouns are still available.<br /><br />Second point, about editing priorities. I have been saying this for years. In my (admittedly limited) experience of being professionally edited, the edits fall into three categories. About a quarter to a third are genuinely beneficial: correcting genuine grammatical errors, improving the flow of the text, etc. A small but critical number are disastrous, making the text say something different in an important way. The balance are essentially pointless work to satisfy a style guide. The purported farther/further distinction is a great example. It serves no real purpose. So in my own work I appreciate the improvements, keep a sharp eye out for the disasters, but ignore the rest. This stuff is all great fun and games if the resources are available, but when was that? Certainly not recently, even if ever. In our present circumstances, it is an absurd waste of scarce resources.Richard Hershbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635892502928435073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-43086483819563354162022-10-14T12:25:57.287-04:002022-10-14T12:25:57.287-04:00As the mother of a young adult who uses singular t...As the mother of a young adult who uses singular they, I’ve adapted. The last bit I’m still getting used to is “themself,” which makes more sense to me than “themselves.” It’s just a word I’ve never said before. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com