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From: ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: 25 Classic Books That Have Been Banned
Date: 31 May 2025 09:59:06 GMT
Organization: Stefan Ram
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Peter Fairbrother <peter@tsto.co.uk> wrote or quoted:
>right decision for her. People die, people kill each other - but is a 
>fetus a people? I don't know.

  Beloved brethren in the congregation of language,

  Gather ye round, for today we address a matter of great importance
  - a matter that has led many astray upon the path of proper
  English: the use of "a people" to refer to a single human being.

  The Truth Revealed

  Verily, I say unto you: in the beginning was the word, and the word
  for one human was "person". Yes, "person" - singular, unique, and
  whole. When you see one fellow traveler upon this earth, you say,
  "There goes a person!" not "There goes a people!" For "people"
  is the blessed plural, the multitude, the gathering of persons.

  The Meaning of "A People"

  But lo! Some may ask, "What of 'a people'"? Take heed, for
  "a people" is not a single soul, but a collective - a nation,
  a tribe, a community bound by culture, language, or history.
  When we speak of "a people", we speak of the French people, 
  the Maasai people, the people of Middle-earth. It is a multitude
  united as one, not one mistaken for many.

  The Way Forward

  Therefore, let us not wander in the wilderness of confusion.
  Let us remember:

  - One human: a person

  - Two or more humans: people

  - A nation or ethnic group: a people

  Let this truth be written upon your heart and upon your tongue.
  Go forth, and spread the good news of correct grammar, that clarity
  and understanding may abound.