From: miker3@ix.netcom.com (Michael Rubenstein)
Subject: Re: Which language pays most -- C++ vs. Java?
Date: 1998/02/12
Date: 1998-02-12T14:24:17-06:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <34e352e5.318283407@nntp.ix.netcom.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 6bv3ca$afc@clarknet.clark.net
On 12 Feb 1998 15:10:02 GMT, docdwarf@clark.net () wrote:
>In article <34e37094.260332117@nntp.ix.netcom.com>,
>Michael Rubenstein <miker3@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>[snippage]
>>
>>Apparently the language was lost a long time ago. The Oxford English
>>Dictionary lists quotes using "they" and "their" with singular
>>antecedants going back to the 14th century.
>
>Usages certainly do become archaic, true... but I am wondering if in this
>instance we are not trying to have archaic and eat it, too. My OED is a
>moderately unwieldly tome; might you provide a citing to which I might
>turn for verification, lest we find we are unable to hie ourselves hence
>this wold?
Certainly, I'm always happy to provide citations.. From the OED entry
for "their":
3. Often used in relation to a singular n. or pronoun denoting
a person, after each, every, either, neither, no one, every
one, etc. Also so used instead of �his or her�, when the
gender is inclusive or uncertain. Cf. they pron. 2, them pron.
2; nobody 1 b, somebody. (Not favoured by grammarians.)
13.. Cursor M. 389 (Cott.) Bath ware made sun and mon,
Ai[th]er wit [th]er ouen light.
c1420 Sir Amadace (Camden) l, Iche mon in thayre degre.
14.. Arth. & Merl. 2440 (K�lbing) Many a Sarazen lost their
liffe.
...
1545 Abp. Parker Let. to Bp. Gardiner 8 May, Thus was it
agreed among us that every president should assemble their
companies.
1563 Win_et Four Scoir Thre Quest. liv, A man or woman being
lang absent fra thair party.
...
1643 Trapp Comm. Gen. xxiv. 22 Each Countrey hath their
fashions, and garnishes.
1749 Fielding Tom Jones vii. xiv, Every one in the House were
in their Beds.
1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. III. 241 Every person..now recovered
their liberty.
a1845 Syd. Smith Wks. (1850) 175 Every human being must do
something with their existence.
1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xli, A person can�t help their birth.
1858 Bagehot Lit. Studies (1879) II. 206 Nobody in their
senses would describe Gray�s �Elegy� as [etc.].
1898 G. B. Shaw Plays II. Candida 86 It�s enough to drive
anyone out of their senses.
Funny. I never thought of Shaw as "archaic."
From the entry for "they":
2. Often used in reference to a singular noun made universal
by every, any, no, etc., or applicable to one of either sex (=
�he or she�).
See Jespersen Progress in Lang. [section] 24.
1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 163 b, Yf..a psalme scape
ony persone, or a lesson, or else yt they omyt one verse or
twayne.
1535 Fisher Ways perf. Relig. ix. Wks. (1876) 383 He neuer
forsaketh any creature vnlesse they before haue forsaken them
selues.
1749 Fielding Tom Jones viii. xi, Every Body fell a laughing,
as how could they help it.
1759 Chesterfield Lett. IV. ccclv. 170 If a person is born of
a..gloomy temper..they cannot help it.
1835 Whewell in Life (1881) 173 Nobody can deprive us of the
Church, if they would.
1858 Bagehot Lit. Stud. (1879) II. 206 Nobody fancies for a
moment that they are reading about anything beyond the pale of
ordinary propriety.
1866 Ruskin Crown Wild Olives [section] 38 (1873) 44 Now,
nobody does anything well that they cannot help doing.
...
I have rendered thorn as [th] and the stylized S usually used for
"section" as [section]. I've also elided cross references to quotes
in other definitions.
--
Michael M Rubenstein
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1998-02-12 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 156+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1998-01-30 0:00 Which language pays most -- C++ vs. Java? scott
1998-01-30 0:00 ` Charles W. Hall
1998-01-30 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1998-01-30 0:00 ` Art/Jeannie Daly
1998-01-30 0:00 ` Jahfre
1998-02-02 0:00 ` Ian Chivers
1999-07-29 0:00 ` Edwin Purvee
1999-07-30 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1999-07-30 0:00 ` Paul Mesken
1998-02-18 0:00 ` Mad Hamish
1998-02-17 0:00 ` Dennis Weldy
1998-02-18 0:00 ` mei
1998-02-18 0:00 ` Charles W. Hall
1998-02-19 0:00 ` Rennie Allen
1998-01-30 0:00 ` James Giles
1998-02-10 0:00 ` Graham Broadbridge
1998-02-10 0:00 ` dogmat
1998-02-11 0:00 ` Richard Kenner
1998-02-11 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-11 0:00 ` Frank A. Adrian
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Peter Hermann
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Frank A. Adrian
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Frank A. Adrian
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-12 0:00 ` dogmat
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Ethics Gradient
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Steven B Mohler
1998-02-18 0:00 ` Mad Hamish
1998-02-14 0:00 ` Richard Kenner
1998-02-14 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Steven B Mohler
1998-02-14 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Ethics Gradient
1998-02-15 0:00 ` Flaagg
1998-02-16 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-16 0:00 ` Flaagg
1998-02-16 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-17 0:00 ` Flaagg
1998-02-17 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-17 0:00 ` Anthony Jenkins
1998-02-18 0:00 ` Sakurambo
1998-02-19 0:00 ` Vinay Mutha
1998-02-20 0:00 ` WeeSaul
1998-02-21 0:00 ` Sakurambo
1998-02-21 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-19 0:00 ` Dave Hillstrom
1998-02-16 0:00 ` WeeSaul
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Ethics Gradient
1998-02-19 0:00 ` Paulo Pena
1998-02-19 0:00 ` Dik T. Winter
1998-02-19 0:00 ` D J Mann
1998-02-19 0:00 ` Harold Stevens ** PLEASE SEE SIG **
1998-02-19 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
[not found] ` <6cigl4$m11@news.Hawaii.Edu>
1998-02-20 0:00 ` Paul Stevenson
1998-02-20 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-03-02 0:00 ` Mailuser
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Eric Clayberg
1998-02-11 0:00 ` Dietmar Stumpe
1998-02-11 0:00 ` Patricia Shanahan
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Chris Gray
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Michael Entwistle
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Michael Rubenstein
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Michael Rubenstein [this message]
1998-02-12 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-12 0:00 ` James Giles
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Michael Rubenstein
1998-02-12 0:00 ` James Giles
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Michael Rubenstein
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Benz
1998-02-13 0:00 ` James Giles
1998-02-17 0:00 ` K. C. Putnam
1998-02-17 0:00 ` gypsy
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Tor Iver Wilhelmsen
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Stephen Taylor
1998-02-12 0:00 ` John W. Lewellen
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
[not found] ` <01bd37cf$fa30c4e0$56dacdcf@ms112188.mindspring.com>
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Michael Rot13 Klein
1998-02-12 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-12 0:00 ` Will Rose
1998-02-12 0:00 ` docdwarf
[not found] ` <01bd3803$441d4c30$ee6de288@ato-10098>
1998-02-13 0:00 ` Jeff York
1998-02-13 0:00 ` docdwarf
1998-02-13 0:00 ` M.L. Scott
1998-02-13 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-13 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-16 0:00 ` tgg
1998-02-16 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-16 0:00 ` tgg
1998-02-16 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-17 0:00 ` martin dowie
1998-02-14 0:00 ` cyanide
1998-02-17 0:00 ` Joseph T. Adams
1998-02-17 0:00 ` Richard Kenner
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1997-12-19 0:00 Which language pays most 17457 " James Giles
1997-12-22 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-12-21 0:00 ` James Giles
1997-12-28 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-12-30 0:00 ` paulr
1997-12-31 0:00 ` Which language pays most " arnie sherman
1997-12-30 0:00 ` Dann Corbit
1997-12-31 0:00 ` John Slaman
[not found] ` <01bd198f$4050d960$68c8b5cc@dhite.unicomp.net>
1998-01-06 0:00 ` Jedi
1998-01-10 0:00 ` Highlander Consulting
1998-01-11 0:00 ` Patricia Shanahan
1998-01-11 0:00 ` Barrabazz
1998-01-11 0:00 ` Patricia Shanahan
1998-01-12 0:00 ` Ron Peterson
1998-01-14 0:00 ` anonymous
1998-01-19 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
[not found] ` <01bd2526$66b70fa0$d6d945cf@juddesk>
1998-01-23 0:00 ` dnns
1998-01-27 0:00 ` Robert Garskof
1998-01-28 0:00 ` Steve Dekorte
1998-01-28 0:00 ` Barrabazz
1998-01-28 0:00 ` dogmat
1998-01-29 0:00 ` Tim Oxler
1998-01-29 0:00 ` Tim Oxler
1998-01-29 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1998-01-29 0:00 ` coryb
1998-01-29 0:00 ` Wayne L. Beavers
1998-01-29 0:00 ` Frank A. Adrian
1998-02-03 0:00 ` GLE
1998-02-03 0:00 ` The Goobers
1998-02-03 0:00 ` Harold Stevens ** PLEASE SEE SIG **
1998-01-30 0:00 ` Robert S. White
1998-01-30 0:00 ` Patricia Shanahan
1998-01-31 0:00 ` Paul Van Bellinghen
1998-02-01 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1998-02-09 0:00 ` cyanide
1998-02-10 0:00 ` dogmat
1998-02-10 0:00 ` Bill Lynch
1998-02-10 0:00 ` Michael Rot13 Klein
1998-02-10 0:00 ` Jeff Knaggs
1998-02-09 0:00 ` cyanide
1998-02-10 0:00 ` dogmat
1999-07-29 0:00 ` Edwin Purvee
[not found] ` <01bd2c3c$6726d520$8101b8c7@MIS-RKW95.spartan.com>
1998-02-10 0:00 ` Steve Dekorte
1998-02-10 0:00 ` Bill Lynch
1998-02-11 0:00 ` dogmat
1998-01-29 0:00 ` Joe Gwinn
1998-01-31 0:00 ` Larry Wiggins
1999-07-29 0:00 ` Ben Pfaff
1999-07-29 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
[not found] ` <6alu5l$onm$1@owl.slip <01bd2c3c$6726d520$8101b8c7@MIS-RKW95.spartan.com>
1998-02-02 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1998-02-02 0:00 ` Michael C. Kasten
[not found] ` <6alu5l$onm$1@owl.slip <34E0D798.E29D6CA0@cableol.co.uk>
1998-02-11 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
[not found] ` <gwinn-1901981219520001@dh5055142. <34CE059C.634DE881@snet.com>
1998-01-27 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1998-01-28 0:00 ` Robert Garskof
1998-02-09 0:00 ` cyanide
1998-01-11 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1998-01-11 0:00 ` Carsten Arnholm
1998-01-15 0:00 ` Highlander Consulting
1998-01-16 0:00 ` Charles F Hankel
1999-08-09 0:00 ` Paul Groves
1999-08-09 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1998-01-02 0:00 ` Philip Hunt
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