posted
Was Mark Twain the first to be leary of Gay Marriages?
Were the Germans the first to suggest it?
According to Mark Twain's "The Awful German Language" all nouns have a sex--male, female, or neuter.
quote: In the German it is true that by some oversight of the inventor of the language, a Woman is a female; but a Wife (Weib) is not -- which is unfortunate. A Wife, here, has no sex; she is neuter; so, according to the grammar, a fish is he, his scales are she, but a fishwife is neither. To describe a wife as sexless may be called under-description;
(or redundant in some cases)
Does this take the edge off of the argument "Marriages have historically been between a man--the husband, and a woman--the wife?"
Probably not, but it may be worth a chuckle.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
In German, "girl" is neuter too... Now I wonder how do they explain that?! Btw, in Romanian every noun has a sex too, also male, female or neuter, exactly like in German. Fortunately - or not, I guess it depends on your views on the issue - "wife" is female, and "husband" is male. Also, all girls are female...
The most confusing thing is when you get a noun that's feminine in Romanian, masculine in French and neuter in German, or something else like that. ("book" fits the description) Good luck with remembering it all! Posts: 4519 | Registered: Sep 2003
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- "wife" is female, and "husband" is male. Also, all girls are female... ![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
