S/he S/ells S/ea S/hells

So there’s this word – Quasimodo of a word – assimilating itself into our lovely language, ruining our syntax. Objections lodged with perpetrators induce “But that means you’re - Sexist!”

‘Rapist’, ‘Racist’ or ‘Fascist’ could not be spat with more contempt.

It’s not even a word within the definition of 'word': S/HE. What? What the hell is s/he? Pieced together from a rubbish tip?

Here’s a recent example - from an organ of HM Government.

The contractor will manage the drafting and printing works. S/he will have excellent written English.

Interesting. How will the seekers of this fe/male contractor adjudicate the excellence of hers/his English? With difficulty, I'd say, judging from two lines in the job description:

3) Ask the Ministry of Commerce if they are willing to contribute to an introduction and draft one.

5) Draft a letter to sent with the publications.

The dismal grammar of civil servants is less dismaying than the quotidian use of the guilt-rousing S/HE.

If we must have a non-sexist version of the collective singular pronoun, can’t the OED committee gather the Great and Good to come up with something like HSE? Or even SHE?

Ah yes! She solves everything wonderfully.

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