What a Programmer Sees When He Watches Inception

Re:What a Programmer Sees When He Watches Inception by seanstickle on Sunday July 18, 2010 @02:24PM (#1526344)

Standard English is a construct of a society predominantly run by, and for, men. It is, in no small way, the English of Those Who Rule, which is to say, at least for a very long time, men.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What a Programmer Sees When He Watches Inception by ant5 on Sunday July 18, 2010 @02:43PM (#1526409)

I don't disagree that standard language is dynamic and a representation of culture (and those who control it).

However -- while I have heard plenty of suggestions for resolving the issue from college english professors, none of them have managed to convince the Central Board of Oppressive English to accept their proposal, and so we might just be stuck with non gender-neutral pronouns and awkward she/he constructions for the time being.

'They' might emerge as a ambiguously plural/singular gender-neutral pronoun, but in the meantime I won't berate anyone for sticking to the accepted standard.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What a Programmer Sees When He Watches Inception by sliverstorm on Sunday July 18, 2010 @02:46PM (#1526418)

So? It means what it means; you can't argue that something is insulting because it would be insulting if someone else was directing the growth of the language.

[ Parent | on HN ]