Comments on: A Campaign for They http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html Dispatches from a Small Business Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:42:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: dearieme http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5376 dearieme Fri, 20 Apr 2007 06:57:10 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html#comment-5376 <p>You've got a feral apostrophe there, Jim.</p> You’ve got a feral apostrophe there, Jim.

]]> By: Jim Collins http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5375 Jim Collins Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:36:50 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html#comment-5375 <p>We already have one. "It" works quite nicely. Everyone should bring it's pencil to the test. </p> We already have one. “It” works quite nicely. Everyone should bring it’s pencil to the test.

]]> By: Chris Fritz http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5374 Chris Fritz Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:02:08 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html#comment-5374 <p>Ha, the next thing you'll be asking for is for "you" to be usable as an informal singular. Like <em>that</em> would ever happen!</p> Ha, the next thing you’ll be asking for is for “you” to be usable as an informal singular. Like that would ever happen!

]]> By: Jens http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5373 Jens Wed, 18 Apr 2007 22:27:18 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html#comment-5373 <p>Ummmm....singular "they" might not be accepted by ALL Strunk&White nazis, but it is UNQUESTIONABLY grammatical.</p> <p>As it says on the Language Log, under<br /> http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003572.html</p> <p>"Singular they": God said it, I believe it, that settles it</p> <p>Some examples given from the King James version of the Bible:</p> <p></p> <p> Matt. 18:35: So likewise shall my heauenly Father doe also vnto you, if yee from your hearts forgiue not euery one his brother their trespasses.<br /> Phl. 2:3: Let nothing bee done through strife, or vaine glory, but in lowlinesse of minde let each esteeme other better then themselues.<br /> Numbers 2:34: And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.<br /> Numbers 15:12: According to the number that yee shall prepare, so shall yee doe to euery one, according to their number.<br /> 2 Kings 14:12: And Iudah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled euery man to their tents.<br /> </p> Ummmm….singular “they” might not be accepted by ALL Strunk&White nazis, but it is UNQUESTIONABLY grammatical.

As it says on the Language Log, under
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003572.html

“Singular they”: God said it, I believe it, that settles it

Some examples given from the King James version of the Bible:

Matt. 18:35: So likewise shall my heauenly Father doe also vnto you, if yee from your hearts forgiue not euery one his brother their trespasses.
Phl. 2:3: Let nothing bee done through strife, or vaine glory, but in lowlinesse of minde let each esteeme other better then themselues.
Numbers 2:34: And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.
Numbers 15:12: According to the number that yee shall prepare, so shall yee doe to euery one, according to their number.
2 Kings 14:12: And Iudah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled euery man to their tents.

]]> By: happyjuggler0 http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5372 happyjuggler0 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:07:58 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html#comment-5372 <p>I'm sorry to hear that you purged they/their from your novel. What I would've done is simply have a note in the beginning of your book stating what your post just stated, and simply used they/their instead of bowing to the grammar nazis.</p> I’m sorry to hear that you purged they/their from your novel. What I would’ve done is simply have a note in the beginning of your book stating what your post just stated, and simply used they/their instead of bowing to the grammar nazis.

]]> By: dearieme http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html/comment-page-1#comment-5371 dearieme Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:48:01 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2007/04/a_campaign_for_.html#comment-5371 <p> "We need a gender-neutral third person pronoun": assuming that you mean sex-neutral, we had one until a few years ago. It was he/him/his. Those pronouns did not necessarily refer to the male sex. Then politicised women - whether from ignorance or deceit - declared that they did. I blame you Americans myself.</p> “We need a gender-neutral third person pronoun”: assuming that you mean sex-neutral, we had one until a few years ago. It was he/him/his. Those pronouns did not necessarily refer to the male sex. Then politicised women – whether from ignorance or deceit – declared that they did. I blame you Americans myself.

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