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Path: utzoo!hcrvax!ken
From: ken@hcrvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.books,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Gender distinctions
Message-ID: <2586@hcrvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Nov-86 11:56:05 EST
Article-I.D.: hcrvax.2586
Posted: Thu Nov  6 11:56:05 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Nov-86 01:05:59 EST
References: <16227@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <2177@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU> <8224@watrose.UUCP> <2181@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU> <1277@megaron.UUCP>
Reply-To: ken@hcrvax.UUCP (ken scott, [decvax,ihnp4]!utzoo!hcr!ken)
Organization: Human Computing Resources, Toronto
Lines: 35
Summary: 

In article <1277@megaron.UUCP> debray@megaron.UUCP writes:

>I can name several (Asian) Indian languages -- among them Bengali, my
>mother tongue -- which have only one third person pronoun, roughly
>equivalent to "it".
>
>This may or may not lead to less sexism in *writing*, it certainly
>doesn't change the fact that these societies are extremely sexist.
>This makes me feel that the whole "Sexism in Language" debate is
>pretty meaningless (yes, Sapir-Whorf notwithstanding).

This is the logical equivalent of: "I didn't go swimming in January,
and I caught pneumonia anyway.  I think that all this nonsense about
hypothermia and pneumonia is pretty meaningless."    --:)

What it boils down to is: "Every little bit counts." (Even the silly
things.)

As a sort of illustration, consider the term Mrs.  In Dryden's day,
any lady worthy of respect (through age, social standing, talent)
was referred to as Mrs., and Miss was almost a diminutive.  See the
(dreadful) poem "To the Memory of Mrs. Anne Killigrew, Poetess".
Now, the only way to gain this term of respect is to get married.

In the same vein, don't try calling a 60 year old German spinster Fraulein.  

Ken
-- 
 - Ken Scott
	[decvax,ihnp4]!utzoo!hcr!ken

	For, I said to myself, what is the universe?  Big.
	And what am I?  Little.  I therefore might as well be
	at home, where my wife loves me.
			- Henderson, The Rain King