Re: [SLE] Juvenile antics on the list
---------- Original Message ------------- Subject: Re: [SLE] Juvenile antics on the list Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:54:25 -0500 From: Danny Sauer <suse-linux-e.suselists@danny.teleologic.net> To: SuSE List <suse-linux-e@suse.com> Randall wrote regarding 'Re: [SLE] Juvenile antics on the list' on Fri, Oct 08 at 11:40: I guess the solution is to just use a different language that *has* a singular, unisex pronoun. This'll be my last post in English. :)
From my studies in foreign languages (Thai, French, Spanish, Biblical Greek), most use the masculine plural form to refer to mixed groups. Objects are rarely neutral. I don't read enough non-English material to know how the media in other countries address. I understand from some Korean natives that they normally use the masculine term in such cases. I've just always assumed our country was a little to pre-occupied with feminism. I almost always use the masculine - though I have considered the notion of coming up with a 3rd person pronoun that could refer to male or female (shim?) :)
Don - still OT -- Web Developer Matheteuo Christian Fellowship webdev@matheteuo.org http://matheteuo.org/ Free software is like God's love - you can share it with anyone anywhere anytime!
WD / Don, On Friday 08 October 2004 14:16, Web Developer wrote:
---------- Original Message ------------- Subject: Re: [SLE] Juvenile antics on the list Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:54:25 -0500 From: Danny Sauer <suse-linux-e.suselists@danny.teleologic.net> To: SuSE List <suse-linux-e@suse.com>
Randall wrote regarding 'Re: [SLE] Juvenile antics on the list' on Fri, Oct 08 at 11:40:
I guess the solution is to just use a different language that *has* a singular, unisex pronoun. This'll be my last post in English. :)
Those weren't my words, but rather Danny's in reply to me.
From my studies in foreign languages (Thai, French, Spanish, Biblical Greek), most use the masculine plural form to refer to mixed groups. Objects are rarely neutral. I don't read enough non-English material to know how the media in other countries address. I understand from some Korean natives that they normally use the masculine term in such cases. I've just always assumed our country was a little to pre-occupied with feminism. I almost always use the masculine - though I have considered the notion of coming up with a 3rd person pronoun that could refer to male or female (shim?) :)
Chinese doesn't encode gender in pronouns. It doesn't even have any person-specific third-person pronouns, just you, me and it. (It also does not encode tense in affixes as most European languages do.) It's really quite an elegant language. At least that's how I remember it. It's been a while.
Don - still OT
RRS
At 04:18 PM 10/8/2004 -0700, Randall R Schulz wrote:
WD / Don,
On Friday 08 October 2004 14:16, Web Developer wrote:
---------- Original Message ------------- Subject: Re: [SLE] Juvenile antics on the list Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:54:25 -0500 From: Danny Sauer <suse-linux-e.suselists@danny.teleologic.net> To: SuSE List <suse-linux-e@suse.com>
Randall wrote regarding 'Re: [SLE] Juvenile antics on the list' on Fri, Oct 08 at 11:40:
I guess the solution is to just use a different language that *has* a singular, unisex pronoun. This'll be my last post in English. :)
Those weren't my words, but rather Danny's in reply to me.
/snip/ C'mon, guys, this is ridiculous. It's totally OT and has no useful purpose here. As my mother would have said, "STOP IT!" --dm
Hi, (Just for the archives...) On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 16:18:50 -0700 Randall R Schulz <rschulz@sonic.net> wrote: [snipped]
Chinese doesn't encode gender in pronouns.
"Encode"? It sounds like you forgot to use a non-computer related word to describe what you're trying to say ;)
It doesn't even have any person-specific third-person pronouns, just you, me and it. (It also does not encode tense in affixes as most European languages do.) It's really quite an elegant language.
At least that's how I remember it. It's been a while.
I'm not sure but it sounds like you're referring to the spoken language where part of what you said could be true. In the written language, different characters are used for "he" or "she". Also, there's even a plural "you"--which, depending on the characters used, can even make a distinction between male and female plural form "you". -- - E - on SUSE 9.1 | blackbox 0.70b2 | Panasonic CF-L1 Buffalo WLI-PCM-L11GP | copperwalls was here ;) "Look! I am making all things new." - Revelation 21:5
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