Re: YAGF is a seriously screwed package
On Friday 10 July 2015 15:37:12 Brad Rogers wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Jul 2015 12:33:46 +0200
> <tomas@tuxteam.de> wrote:
>
> Hello tomas@tuxteam.de,
>
> >Got it. The "Sirs" is definitely unfortunate.
>
> Sirs is still the correct form if you are addressing unknown persons in a
> company, organisation, etc. I know some people object because "it
> excludes women" but in this context, the masculine is to be construed as
> including the feminine.
No, I disagree. Mesdames is now fully accepted, and I would say expected,
giving:
Dear Sirs/Mesdames or even dear Mesdames/Sirs.
Duck includes drake and mankind includes women. But "Sirs" does not and never
did, include women. It dates from when there wouldn't be any women there
anyway. I did once get told: "The term gentlemen shall at all times be
taken to include you, Miss Reisz". Which was fine. He was acknowledging
that it basically didn't.
I once had a letter on the subject of the fact that I was my son's _mother_
beginning "Dear _Mr._ " People are just used to addressing letters to men.
Lisi
Reply to: