Well spoken, grammatically correct, gender equal... zombies?

[spacekadette]

I sort of inadvertently started a discussion about proper language and gender equality in zombie_survival. I wasn't trying to, but what can I say? Vodka's a hell of a drug.

It started with the hypothetical question by a poster as to whom would be our ideal President, in the event of a zombie outbreak. In the post he used the line, "We'll assume he had nothing to

Comments

[_paegan_]

I use "one" but it's still a pain in the ass.

[spacekadette]

I really like 'one', but it doesn't work in all sentences unfortunately.

ONE is the loneliest

[_paegan_]

No, I've had to awkwardly restructure many sentences, trying to avoid he, she, you, or they.

French was often easier.

[shadowprison]

That's a difficult situation. Personally, I find myself using THEY most of the time.

[ravyn440]

"Hir"

I don't know if there's any official sanction to it, but it's one that I've seen people use in both subject and object form. I think I grew up using they, but I was always told that it was grammatically incorrect due to subject-verb number disagreement.

I suppose the case could be made for using "it" as well, but I don't think most people would think too highly of that option.

[ragan]

"They"= plural. Even the most forgiving grammarian would object to "they" as a singular pronoun, whether it's spoken or written. I tend to write "he or she," or, if pressed by an editor to commit to one or the other, I opt for "she." I rarely use "one" in my writing, because I find it impersonal and sterile. My dislike of "one" is a personal, stylistic preference.

Out of everyone who commented on your initial post, I agree most with the person who wrote:

'He/she' is proper when not intending to define a specific gender, and even better is the use of 'one'. Or one can choose to restate the subject such as, "We'll assume [this person] had nothing to do with the failure that brought us to this point. Critiques of "he/she" duality emerge from poststructural theory, and its suspicion of the hierarchal dualities that shape our language system. While I understand the critique, most critical scholars continue to rely on the sex/gender dyad when using pronouns. The goal of challenging male generic language is to replace "man" and

[spacekadette]

Thanks!

"Out of everyone who commented on your initial post, I agree most with the person who wrote:

'He/she' is proper when not intending to define a specific gender, and even better is the use of 'one'. Or one can choose to restate the subject such as, "We'll assume [this person] had nothing to do with the failure that brought us to this point."

Heh, that was MY comment. Sorry if that was unclear in the way I structured my post. :)

Thanks for the reply. Others have commented, and it might turn into a rather interesting discussion.

Tey

[tereze]

"Tey" is a genderless singular personal pronoun that no one ever uses in real life.