General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: Ships are \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Posted by:
J.T. McDaniel
()
Date: May 03, 2001 05:56PM
<HTML>(Daringly inserting a semi-serious answer at this point.) In a lot of languages, German included, if I remember correctly, it would probably be a gender issue. English no longer has gender, but it wouldn\'t surprise me if the feminine reference was carried over from its Germanic roots. (Despite the use of Latinate grammar, English is a Teutonic language at the most basic level.) The word for ship is more often feminine than masculine in most gender-observant languages. As to why -- I\'m not sure there really is a reason, other than that\'s how the language developed.
On the the other hand, Russian ships are always male.
J.T. McDaniel
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On the the other hand, Russian ships are always male.
J.T. McDaniel
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