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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 111d6b,328622178ec8b832 X-Google-Attributes: gid111d6b,public X-Google-Thread: 10d15b,328622178ec8b832 X-Google-Attributes: gid10d15b,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,8775b19e3c68a5dc X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 114809,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid114809,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 1094ba,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid1094ba,public From: "Frank A. Adrian" Subject: Re: Which language pays most -- C++ vs. Java? Date: 1998/02/11 Message-ID: <6bti3r$e96$1@client3.news.psi.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 324292848 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> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.71.1712.3 Organization: First DataBank Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.misc,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.cobol,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-02-11T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: The Goobers wrote in message <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? > *They* are teaching that in order to be politically correct in this day and age, in order to sooth ruffled feathers of those who insist on sex neutral language, one must sometimes wrinkle the ears of fuddy-duddy language purists with circumlocutions such as the sentence that caused you to go "BLEARGH!" In some cases, other fuddy-duddy language purists' ears wrinkle upon hearing the phrase "his/her" or (even more noveau) the sex neutral linguistic proposal "te or tis". And, although most fuddy-duddy language purists *would* prefer that the whole sex-neutral language issue would go away allowing us to revert to good old masculine singular as a generic singular term for a person, as with sex the controversy appears to be here for quite a while longer. In short, lighten up, Mr. Language Pedant. -- Frank A. Adrian First DataBank frank_adrian@firstdatabank.com (W) franka@europa.com (H) This message does not necessarily reflect those of my employer, its parent company, or any of the co-subsidiaries of the parent company.