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GENDER_FIXS_AND_UNFIXES

                                              February 16, 2007

At one point in   BIG_HERE

I resorted to the phrase
"this person's
definition" where it              I had to do this because earlier
would be much simpler to          I decided to skip specifing the
say "her definition".             gender of the person's place --
                                  it didn't seem relevant.

Gender pronouns can simplify           And I was reluctant to
the language you need to               add it later, because
recount an interaction                 by then I was feeling
between two people, but                uncertain about my
*only* if they're of                   memory of the detail.
different genders ("he said",
then "she said").


So: if you have a choice
(e.g. in fiction) you
should always deal with
pairs of opposite gender.

  It would be useful to have a language
  with pronouns attached to other
  characteristics, such as the one you
  introduced first, and the one introduced
  second.

  You *could* say

    "Then the first guy said to the second guy..."

  But it would be cleaner if you could
  reduce that even further:

    "Then First said to Sec..."

    "Then One said to Two..."

  In fiction, I think the solution             And in non-fiction there's
  would be to have very short,                 "and then the former said
  distinctive "First" names.                   to the latter", but it's
                                               remarkable how confusing
    Then Jax said to Skeen...                  that former/latter
                                               distinction can be.
  Notably, such names *can* be
  assigned on the fly, as "nick                               (So maybe this
  names" of a sort, supplied by                               entire example
  the author.                                                 is silly, no?)

    "Then Blue Hair
    said to Long
    Legs..."                                                     Are there
                                                                 better
                                                                 examples?




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