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Re: Pronouns, once more

You take an interesting tack on deconstructing language structure, but I'm
afraid we can't take your view to its logical extreme any more than we can
take mine to the logical extreme you attempt.  Of course there is no
"absolute authority" of language.  On the other hand, someone writing a
newspaper article in the style of e.e. cummings could expect that article
to be edited before it appeared in the "Times".  Many great works of
literature attempt to use nonstandard structures to make an artistic
point.  But if there were no accepted standards to begin with, how could
that point be made - or even communicated?  

Of course the boundaries of language are negotiable.  You argue for a
particular change in the structure I currently use.  That structure not
only makes perfect sense to me, it made enough sense to quite a few people
before me that it became widely accepted usage.  I'll pre-empt the
"slavery was widespread" response here by saying that no harm has yet been
demonstrated from pronoun choice, despite Herculean efforts by quite a few
folks to prove such harm.  You believe that the evidence is convincing - I
don't think it's anything more than intriguing.  You are willing to change
your structure on that basis, I am not.  At some distant future date,
perhaps the "he/she" structure will be universally accepted, at which
point some future literary giant might write a novel using the "he"
neutral form, just to make an artistic point.  

Some other things in my life have gotten a little bit strange lately, so
if I don't respond to your future postings, don't take it personally.  If
someone wants to get in touch with me directly, he can send private email
and I will gladly respond.

          --Alan

__________________
Alan Dove
N3IMU
ad52@columbia.edu
http://hs1304silver1.cpmc.columbia.edu/Alan_Dove/Alan.html
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