Hi Penni:
The main reason English is so rich compared with French is because of the influx of so many Latin/French words brought in with the Norman conquest. Just read Chaucer "Of which vertu engendred is the flour."
I did the same thing you did with forte. If we were strong enough in our own self images or egos, Penni, we wouldn't give a damn what the illiterati thought about our pronunciation.
Incidentally, I notice with interest the construction in your last sentence:
Once someone posts in a forum such as this, has she set herself up to be read very critically?
Your method is an excellent idea for getting around the he/she business with the words someone, anyone, anybody, everyone etc. Gramatically these words take a singular pronoun, and in those old pre-PC days, it had to be he. Now people usually make the choice among
(1) being grammatically incorrect but politically correct:
Will everyone please take their seat?
(2) being gramatically correct but awkward:
Will everyone please take his or her seat?
(3) changing the sentence to avoid the problem:
Will all students please take their seats?
But, Penni your solution, which I have seen proposed, to me is the best. If the writer is female, use the feminine singular pronoun. If male, the masculine.
These are interesting discussions.
Jack |
