Epicene pronoun (was: French (was: Optimum number of symbols))

At 11:48 am +0200 25/5/02, BP Jonsson wrote:
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>At 18:00 2002-05-24 -0400, Roger Mills wrote:
>
>> >...though there are extensive
>> >discussions about creating third-person gender neutral pronouns for
>>english,
>> >like xe/xir, hey/hem/heir, and so forth.
>>
>>The one I really like was introduced (without success, of course) by Marge
>>Piercy in her lovely novel "Woman at the Edge of Time"-- _per_, used for
>>subject/object, _pers_ possessive. (< person, of course)
>
>The only alternative with some chance of success is, of course, _they_,
>since it is strictly speaking not a neologism at all!
Not only with some chance of success - but is the normal one used in
collquial English when pedants don't interfere.  You are quite right that
"it is strictly speaking not a neologism at all".  It's been attested since
the 19th century and is now well-entrenched.

Ray.

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Speech is _poiesis_ and human linguistic articulation
is centrally creative.
                                 GEORGE STEINER.
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