[Koha-devel] Gender-neutral pronouns

[Eric Phetteplace]

Hi Paul,

English has a singular "they". It doesn't suggest androgyny, either, from
the definitions I've seen. For instance, Oxford English Dictionary:

2. In anaphoric reference to a singular noun or pronoun of undetermined
gender: he or she.

The first usage example OED provides is from 1375. I don't think replacing
"he" with "she" addresses the problem, it's still assuming a default
gender. It's not too much tricker to search code for he/him & replace with
they/them but that's also just an implementation issue, not a policy one.


It sounds like people are otherwise supportive but I'm not sure what the
next step should be.

Best,
Eric Phetteplace
Systems Librarian
California College of the Arts
libraries.cca.edu | vault.cca.edu
510.594.3660
2>/dev/null

On Wed, Apr 19, 2017 at 8:42 AM, Paul A <paul.a at navalmarinearchive.com>
wrote:

> On 2017-04-18 08:25 PM, Eric Phetteplace wrote:
>
>> Hi list,
>>
>> I opened bug
>>
> [snip]
>
>> Before*:*
>>
> "Kid growing and become a juvenile, he should pay "
>
>> After:
>>
> "Kid growing and become a juvenile, they should pay "
>
> Political correctness has never been my strong point (although I try to
> understand it), but I'm proficient in grammatical rigour. [1]
>
> "Kid" is a singular noun, "a" is a singular article -- "they" is a plural
> pronoun. Perhaps replace "they" with "[s]he"? or "Kids growing and becoming
> juveniles, they should pay"?
>
> From a code maintenance p.o.v., it's easier to find and replace 'he' with
> '[s]he' if really this becomes a priority for Koha.
>
> Best -- Paul
>
> [1] I am aware of the so-called "singular third person epicene 'they'",
> but academically object to it -- it often suggests androgyny rather than
> gender neutrality.
>
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