At 10:06 AM 7/18/2003, you wrote:
Yes, I was aware of Jane Austen, but she was very much an exception -- the vast majority of writers used "generic he" throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and through most of the 20th. I think Samuel Taylor Coleridge may be the one other notable exception.
It is also true, as Dante Alighieri pointed out, that "singular they" was used in the 16th century and through some of the 17th. But medieval English usage is hardly a good guide for modern English usage.
Calling the "singular they" a medieval English usage hardly seems appropriate given that Jane Austen wasn't around during the medieval period, and contemporary authors use it as well. :)
----- Dante Alighieri dalighieri@digitalgrapefruit.com
"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of great moral crisis." -Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321