Re: Epicene pronoun in english?

Joe wrote:
> I suspect that's a nuance.  Here it refers to the individual states
> breaking bonds with each other.
Perhaps.  But it still sounds very odd to me.  I would certainly use the
singular "The United States was tearing itself apart in its (or "the")
Civil War".  I mean, the author didn't say "Japan were" when talking
about the Warring States Era, when there were far more than just 2
warring sections.  :-)  (Although, to be fair, Japan was still
theoretically united under the Emperor, and no one was actually trying
to become formally independent)

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