Different approaches work better in different situations, obviously. The main objection to 's/he' that I've seen is that they're isn't an obvious way to pronounce it. (Well, that and that it's ugly, but probably all of the options look ugly to somebody.)
"He or she" can be awkward and distracting, particularly if repeated many times.
The burglar disabled the alarm system. He or she then broke a window, injuring himself or herself slightly on the borken glass, and entered the house, where he or she went to the den and took the teevee and VCR. He or she then [. . .]
Exhausting! This is where, if you're writing, 's/he' or 'they' become tempting choices, because if we're talking about a real person whose gender is unknown using 'he' or 'she' is inappropriate, because it indicates knowledge of the person's gender. In speaking, I'd probably use 'they' -- even if I started off saying 'he or she' I would lapse into 'they' eventually, just because repeating 'he or she' is too much of a pain in the neck.
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syntheid
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Date: 2003-12-05 06:56 am (UTC)Different approaches work better in different situations, obviously. The main objection to 's/he' that I've seen is that they're isn't an obvious way to pronounce it. (Well, that and that it's ugly, but probably all of the options look ugly to somebody.)
"He or she" can be awkward and distracting, particularly if repeated many times.
Exhausting! This is where, if you're writing, 's/he' or 'they' become tempting choices, because if we're talking about a real person whose gender is unknown using 'he' or 'she' is inappropriate, because it indicates knowledge of the person's gender. In speaking, I'd probably use 'they' -- even if I started off saying 'he or she' I would lapse into 'they' eventually, just because repeating 'he or she' is too much of a pain in the neck.