Non-native English speakers?!?

Great now I'm going to write this in Dutch, if you need a translation, ask Melusine but you don't know that as you can't read this
Anyway human being is 'mens' or 'menselijk wezen' in a more literal translation (note from Mel: which BTW is often not the best way to translate- literally I mean )
man is 'man' so that is easy
woman is 'vrouw'
masculine is 'mannelijk', only used for males (note from Mel: DOH )
and have you been enlightened now? I severely doubt it.

Note from Mel: what cheek, eh!
_________________________________

great...
Wunderbar

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The Githyanki Necromancer - High Magician of the Holy Flame

[WOLFGIR]

Ok, I have to be alittle more thouruough! hehe

OK Human being= människa
Man= man
Woman= kvinna

I alsoo forgot that we now also in sometimes add different endings like they do in german, like chairman, if that person is a woman it would be chairwoman.
This seems to be the best way to deal with it. I IMHO think this. To just use person is so genderless and so.. booring =)

I think that both sexes should be able to be proud of their sex and not be questioned about it. Use person if you call for someone unknown to you, that is great. personalcontact though use the right ending. If people read in their own values of a person due to woman or man it is their own shortcomming that is seen not anything else.

OK, I wont go babbling here Moridin !

hehe..

2. Well as you might have noticed we have something of a debate and usually you can get away with the masculine term or a neutral term.

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WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

[Cayle]

The Germans seem to use the word for adult male (Mann) for human pretty much the same way as you would in old english.

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- Cayle

o.k. I'm curious about how other languages treat a very old, emancipated profession Doctors? In English the title gives no indication of gender, in German I've only ever heard it used with males, do other languages have masc and fem words for doctor. If I remember rightly thius words is similar in a lot of European languages.

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Holy Avenger of the OHF and part time Pinguindiebjäger

[Moiraine]

Good question Sir Tainly !

In French we theorically have the word 'docteur' for a man and 'doctoresse' for a woman, but usually the word 'doctor' serves for both.

Besides, 'docteur' means both a medecine doctor, and a person who has graduated to a doctorate (for example, my father is a 'docteur ès sciences'). You can use 'doctoresse' for a woman in the former case (medecine) but not the latter (diploma).

Thus we have 'Madame le Docteur', 'Madame le Juge', ...

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The world is my oyster !
And now I have the knives to open it ...

[WOLFGIR]

Originally posted by Sir_Tainly: o.k. I'm curious about how other languages treat a very old, emancipated profession Doctors? In English the title gives no indication of gender, in German I've only ever heard it used with males, do other languages have masc and fem words for doctor. If I remember rightly thius words is similar in a lot of European languages.

Hmm, good one one tainly!

We use doctor (doktor) for both, as well with professor too. Seems that some jobtitles are now considered to be genderless so to say..

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WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

Thanks Moiraine, Wolfie, thats pretty much what I thought, think its interesting though in English though that a lot of profession are without gender,

Lawyer
Teacher
Surgeon
Secretary
Librarian
Optician

etc. Not so many are like Poiliceman v. Policewoman, and normally these are not the proper titles, so the above should be Police Constable / Police Officer

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Holy Avenger of the OHF and part time Pinguindiebjäger

[Donut]

Originally posted by Sir_Tainly: Thanks Moiraine, Wolfie, thats pretty much what I thought, think its interesting though in English though that a lot of profession are without gender, Lawyer Teacher Surgeon Secretary Librarian Optician etc. Not so many are like Poiliceman v. Policewoman, and normally these are not the proper titles, so the above should be Police Constable / Police Officer

SirT

As you probably know, in England, surgeons are not addressed as Dr but as Mr or Miss. Even when a female surgeon marries she reatains her maiden name and the title Miss.With the exception of one of the Queen Mother's orthopaedic surgeons Mr William Muirhead-Allwood who underwent a sex change and re-emerged as Miss Sarah Muirhead-Allwood.

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Save Chip - Don't let Sarah win!
Official Titterer of the Laughing Hyenas
Heading for Cardiff

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Moridin: I am having a problem! In the English language we have 'human being', 'man', and 'woman'. Throughout most of its history we have used the word 'man' to mean both 'human being' and 'adult male', but times are changing and we are starting to become more politically correct in our distinction (i.e. chairman to chairperson, postman to mail carrier). I am curious of two things

I've got a poblem with some of that stuff. All it ends up doing is adding words to a sentance and hinder communication. If I have a mental picture in my head that I wish to convey to say, you Moridin, then I have to now add words. If I am talking about an 'actress' I now must talk about a 'female actor'. A 'manhole' is now a 'maintainence access point' or something.

Oh well such is life. Just a little gripe.

It's interesting that the difference between MAN and woMAN (both containing the historically used name of the species) is a wo. Anyone know what the wo came from or means? Nothing to do with womb is it?

WOMBMAN?????

Same with MALE and feMALE.


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I am the walrus!.... er, no hang on....

A fair dinkum laughing Hyena!

[This message has been edited by Yorick (edited 05-10-2001).]

Originally posted by Yorick: It's interesting that the difference between MAN and woMAN (both containing the historically used name of the species) is a wo. Anyone know what the wo came from or means? Nothing to do with womb is it? WOMBMAN????? Same with MALE and feMALE.

Womble??????????????????

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Holy Avenger of the OHF and part time Pinguindiebjäger