On 3/4/2011 7:40 PM, Guido van Rossum wrote:
On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 4:10 PM, Westley Martínez<anikom15@gmail.com>
All right I have to reply to all these "singular they" remarks. Just because the singular they has been used for a long time doesn't make it right. It sounds unnatural, at least to me, and I've always been taught to use "he or she" which I despise. So all my life I've used the generic "he". Anyways, I remember reading somewhere that for Python Strunk and White apply, and neither Strunk nor White like singular theys.
That's how I felt 20 years ago.
I still feel that way ...
But since then I've come to appreciate they as a much better alternative to either "he or she" or "he". Just get used to it.
But I discovered long ago that abstract singulars can nearly always be pluralized, as the statement is nearly always about people rather than any particular person. -- Terry Jan Reedy