From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: * X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.4 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_50,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII X-Google-Thread: 111d6b,328622178ec8b832 X-Google-Attributes: gid111d6b,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 114809,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid114809,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,8775b19e3c68a5dc X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 10d15b,328622178ec8b832 X-Google-Attributes: gid10d15b,public X-Google-Thread: 1094ba,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid1094ba,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public From: miker3@ix.netcom.com (Michael Rubenstein) Subject: Re: Which language pays most -- C++ vs. Java? Date: 1998/02/12 Message-ID: <34e352e5.318283407@nntp.ix.netcom.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 324530222 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit References: <6at330$7uj$1@mainsrv.main.nc.us> <01bd3756$552bf060$efd9cdcf@ms112188.mindspring.com> <34E25602.4F93EF49@for-president.com> <34e37094.260332117@nntp.ix.netcom.com> <6bv3ca$afc@clarknet.clark.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Organization: Netcom X-NETCOM-Date: Thu Feb 12 2:24:17 PM CST 1998 Mime-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.misc,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.cobol,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-02-12T14:24:17-06:00 List-Id: On 12 Feb 1998 15:10:02 GMT, docdwarf@clark.net () wrote: >In article <34e37094.260332117@nntp.ix.netcom.com>, >Michael Rubenstein 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