From: Philip L. Graber (omc01091@mail.wvnet.edu)
Date: Fri Apr 03 1998 - 08:30:19 EST
At 05:34 AM 4/2/98 -0800, Jane Harper wrote:
>
>I'm not sure where the idea that "brethren" is gender-neutral comes from
.. it
>certainly doesn't include us "sistern". [And I might add at this point there
>are NO style sheets, whether APA, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver, or whatever, that
>still consider male nouns or pronouns generic.]
The idea came from the fact that, until the more recent editions, they ALL
recognized generic masculine forms. My feminist sister-in-law used the
generic masculine form in her Sociology dissertation less than ten years
ago before current practice had caught up with her. Language naturally
changes over time, but I don't think this change was entirely natural.
Someone decided one day that the generic masculine forms weren't any more,
and increasing numbers of people have jumped on the band wagon, but not all
by any means.
Rev. Philip L. Graber <omc01091@mail.wvnet.edu>
Ronceverte Presbyterian Church
305 Locust Street
Ronceverte, WV 24970 USA
Phone: 304-647-4400
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