tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post4374758077655020838..comments2024-03-06T06:34:42.881-05:00Comments on EconoSpeak: The “it” PronounUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-30416628136165792232021-01-06T17:43:48.592-05:002021-01-06T17:43:48.592-05:00Finally I gravitated to they/theirs, despite the d...<i>Finally I gravitated to they/theirs, despite the deep belief, inculcated through decades of indoctrination, that it is a crime to mixed up singular and plural forms.</i><br /><br />Methinks thou hast been perpetrating this crime for a long time. Off thou goest to Quaker Grammar Penitentiary!Calgacushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06031818010224747000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-8692036184430386462021-01-06T00:39:12.483-05:002021-01-06T00:39:12.483-05:00They used to refer to babies as it, but that's...They used to refer to babies as it, but that's no longer common. My only objection to a more neutral pronoun is that they should carve out an exception for cryptographers with their canonical Alice and Bob. Using gender to keep track of whose public or private key is being used to send a message from who to whom is really convenient. That and bath towels.Kaleberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283840743310507878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-38912075721210406462021-01-04T23:43:53.083-05:002021-01-04T23:43:53.083-05:00'It' is no good. I keep remembering '...'It' is no good. I keep remembering 'Silence of the Lambs' where the creep called his? victims 'it'. If you have to write that way, 'they' is not perfect but at least it is human. Jerry Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16571572049627552805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-25423866508136512592021-01-04T20:19:27.464-05:002021-01-04T20:19:27.464-05:00Agree with Barkley: they > it. Though in havin...Agree with Barkley: they > it. Though in having learned only a little German, would vote to get rid of der (masculine) and die (feminine) and just have any items referred to as das (neutral gender) to make it easier! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-32452975044489490412021-01-04T19:13:41.963-05:002021-01-04T19:13:41.963-05:00The problem with "one" is that it is too...The problem with "one" is that it is too impersonal. Its usual usage is to refer to an abstract person, "One might like nice weather" meaning anybody in general, not one specific person precisely.<br /><br />Yes, it is inconsistent, but it seems that "they" is increasingly used both verbally and in writing. Yes, it can refer to a generalized group or person, but it is also regularly used to refer to a singular specific individual.<br /><br />And "it" is almost inhuman, really quite awful. A thing, not a living entity. Yuck. Stick with "they."rosserjb@jmu.eduhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300046915843554101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-77654016492871987032021-01-04T18:43:36.005-05:002021-01-04T18:43:36.005-05:00Since it's for third-person singular, what abo...Since it's for third-person singular, what about "one" ? As in<br /><br />He/She/One goes to the store. One's bike is red. Send oneself a message.<br /><br />The only awkward case is when it's an object. As in "send the letter to him". "send the letter to one" ? doesn't really work. Sigh.<br /><br />I still don't see what's wrong with "they/them/themself/themselves".The Sophisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14548019918360204530noreply@blogger.com