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From: "Eric Clayberg" <clayberg@smalltalksystems.com>
Subject: Re: Which language pays most -- C++ vs. Java?
Date: 1998/02/12
Message-ID: <01bd3756$552bf060$efd9cdcf@ms112188.mindspring.com>#1/1
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References: <6at330$7uj$1@mainsrv.main.nc.us>
 <6bp6rh$sim$4@peachy.apana.org.au> <6bpoea$rd1$1@bvbsd2.kc.bv.com>
 <6bsddk$3cp$1@news.nyu.edu> <34E23B11.6AD8@erols.com>
Organization: Instantiations, Inc.
Newsgroups: 
 comp.lang.java.misc,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.cobol,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.ada
Date: 1998-02-12T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


The Goobers <docdwarf@erols.com> wrote in article
<34E23B11.6AD8@erols.com>...
> Richard Kenner wrote:
> > 
> > The more a "programmer" knows, the more "well rounded" they are.
> > I see no reason to set a limit to knowlege in any field: it's always
> > better to know more than to know less.
> 
> BLEARGH!
> 
> Read this sentence again, please:
> 
>  'The more a "programmer" knows, the more "well rounded" they are.'
> 
> I realise that you are trying to avoid sex-specification ('The more a
> "programmer" knows, the mofe "well rounded" he/she is.') but you BOTCHED
> it... now, repeat after me:
> 
> 'Antecedants must agree with their consequent.'
> 
> Notice the subtle ha-ha in this 'rule'?  'Antecedants' and 'their' are
> plurals, 'consequent' is a singular... is make for good joke to
> remembering Eenglish to be doing by, no?
> 
> In your sentence 'programmer' is singular, 'knows' is singular, 'they'
> and 'are' am be pluralismers.
> 
> What *are* they teaching in schools nowadays?

You might be surprised to discover that his sentence is *correct* based
upon what is being taught in schools these days. The sex-neutral use of
"they" and "their" to refer to a single person is now in common usage
(including the mainstream media) and is being taught in most business
writing courses (at least it was seven years ago when I went through B'
school). I don't know if this has caught on in grade school or high school
yet. If not, it's only a matter or time. You might as well get used to it.

-Eric