From: evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com   
      
   On 12/20/25 15:04, Scott Dorsey wrote:   
   > Evelyn C. Leeper  wrote:   
   >> On 12/20/25 11:40, Scott Dorsey wrote:   
   >>> In article ,   
   >>> Paul Dormer  wrote:   
   >>>> In article <10i4agq$51t$1@panix2.panix.com>, kludge@panix.com (Scott   
   >>>> Dorsey) wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> Yes, older OED editions mentioned the male pronouns including the   
   >>>>> female.  This has been removed and I think that is unfortunate.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> I'd much rather people used the singular they.   
   >>>   
   >>> To be honest, both of those options are often confusing.   
   >>> --scott   
   >>   
   >> And when we're done, we can talk about the Oxford comma.   
   >   
   > And this, in short, is why we need a language academy.   
   > --scott   
      
   The French have the Académie Française, but the French still continue to   
   use anglicisms such as "email" (rather than "courriel") and "streaming"   
   (rather than "diffusion en direct"). Given how independent-minded   
   Americans can be, why on earth would you think an official language   
   academy would have any effect?   
      
   (Example: In New York, probably only about ten percent call it "Avenue   
   of the Americas" rather than "Sixth Avenue". And we've seen how popular   
   the diktat to rename the Gulf of Mexico or Denali has been.)   
      
   --   
   Evelyn C. Leeper, http://leepers.us/evelyn   
   Golden ages always shine more brightly from a distance. --Jack Shafer   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)