hu (pronoun): used to refer to a person of unspecified sex.
hut (possessive adjective): belonging to or associated with a person of unspecified sex.
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Ben Rohrs may have made up "hu"--I remember discussing it with him years ago. I have just made up "hut". I have used a "t" to finish this word as a way to distinguish it from "hu" without making it too closely associated with either "his" or "her".
The proposed words above, if added to the English lexicon, should obviate much trouble experienced when writing academic papers in which one is to describe persons in the abstract, and wants to avoid both the ungrammaticality of "they" and the general awkwardness of "his or her", without falling into linguistically sexist tendencies.
1.15.2010
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4 comments:
I prefer this proposal to the usual `ze' and `zir', if only because the possessive adjective reminds me of the one they call Jabba.
很精彩的部落格 期待你的繼續加油.........................
我們這一代最偉大的發現是，人類可以藉由改變心中的態度來改變人生。 ..................................................
Should we use 'hu' for both the nominative and the accusative?
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