Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-09-11
A PRONOUN We LACK
One Of the Grammatical Difficult
ties Of Our Language.
A RATHER PRETTY PROBLEM.

the employment Of pronoun that
does not exist As representatives OF
this class can be taken each and every
with the com blnatlon into which they
enter. The peculiarly about them is
that ~ regards form they are singular,
as regards meaning they are plural.
Consequently the construction, accord
Ing 10 sense. II always coming into
confiict with the construction according
20 strict grammar. One Of these ex-
pressions everybody. for instance
may be used to bring out the point
distinctly. II II desired, for example,
to make a statement TO the effect that
at some specific gathering all persons
present had seen there those whom
they knew well. With the employ
ment of the word just selected gram
NAUTICAL difficulties at once arise and
the troubles Of the writer begin.
Three ways are open to him In which
he eau overcome them after fashion.
But not one Of them answers fully all
the conditions existing. In the first
the masculine form can he made to
represent both itself and the feminine.
Consequently such n sentence as the
following could be framed: There
everybody met his friends. Women
as well as men would be included I'M
der his. Though never really satisfac-
tory, this was once the preferred usage
For time Il served the purpose fairly
well, and II still does so occasionally
and perhaps frequently. But there
has been for a good while past dis
tinct dislike TO this construction. One
result Of the increasingly important
part that ths femalc sex plays In life
and literature Is the growth of repug-
nance on the part or the feminine ele-
ment to have Its identity merged ia
the masculine. Subconsciousnes OF
the injustice Of 1t has now passed
over Into full consciousness that under
this form OF expression It's claims are
not really recognized: hence, while wo-
men may use II, they do not like 1t,
aud men have come to share largely
In the same feeling
Another way out Of the difficulty
was devised To satisfy the claims Of
both sexes resort was had to two rep
resentative pronouns, The sentence
previously given would accordingly up
pear in the following shape There
everybody met his or her friends. But
such form Of expression pleased no
one. II was felt to be formal, to suffer
from that stiffness which Is always
sure TO manifest itself when natural.
ness Of expression Is sacrificed to mere
precision OF statement. Besides being
objectionable ON the score Of clumsl-
ness u was subject 10 exception on
other grounds. In words with feminine
examinations like heiress or heroine.
the fact Of sex IN indicated indeed, but
II Is not made obtrusiye. When, how
ever, we have distinct contrasted
forms, rs IN his or her." II Is lifted
into an undue aud almost aggres-
siye prominence. where there Is mel
Their desire nor occasion to make II
prominent; hence this particular usage,
while serviceable in certain documents
and acceptable always to the devotees
of strict grammar. Is usually detested
by everybody else.
A third way out OF the difficulty
there Ia. and Il was long ago taken by
The holder spirits, This was the con-
struetion according TO the sense. The
plural pronominal forms were used to
correspond 70 the idea Of plurality ex.
lstlng In the singular subject; hence
men said in the sentence quoted: There
everybody met their friends. Exam
pies OF this usage can be found album
dainty In works of high reputation, but
those given here for the purpose OF IL
astratlng Il win be taken from sin.
gle enc. This writer Is Jane Austen.
She II chosen not for her emlnenee.
but tor her sex. for as a general rule
highly cultivated women speak and
write the language not only with more
naturalness, but with greater scrupu-
s0usness and purity, than the CORE
spending class Of men, Examples from
their works are In consequence more
convincing Here are two or three
taken out Of many. at Is very nm.
fair. says Miss Austen In Emma" ito
Judge Of anybody's conduct without an
intimate knowledge Of their charac.
ter" Again In the same work the re-
marx IL made that they say every.
body is In love once IN their lives" In
'hansaeld Park" she observes that
nobody could command attention when
they spoke" These examples, which
might BE- multiplied from numerous
other authors, are sufficient to Indicate
the attitude Of those who adopt the
third course. Every one can sec that
the problem Is very pretty one as Il
stands and that the interest In Il win
never die because no satisfactory solu.
ton OF II win ever he found. Thomas
4. I,Ounsbury. Professor Of English.
Tale University. In Harpers Maya.
Hlne.