Transgender Words
Kids gather around, well talk about gender, about what makes a boy a boy and a girl a girl.
*GASP*
Well, actually this is more simple than that, or not.
Unlike most mammals (except kittens, they are impossible to tell what they are) where it’s easy to tell what anatomically determines their gender, words are like reptiles. Unless you are an expert, it’s a pain in the neck to know what gender they are, and that was the dilemma of a friend of mine who was learning English.
Transgender Words
I’ve never seen someone as puzzled as he was. He needed to know what words were girls and what words were boys. I kept telling him to let it go and just let the words be whatever they wanted to be. We have no right to judge words for what they are, they just are.
Words don’t care, they just are and they have the right to do so.
“Tell me” I said, “what are the words troubling?”
I was not expecting his answer and it sure made me ponder. I’m open minded but it made me think that probably I’m also discriminating against words because I choose to remain ignorant.
Leo, if the suffix -ess determines the gender of some words, why doesn’t it apply to all words?
Why if Lioness, Tigress, Waitress, Countess, Goddess are the feminine form of Tiger, Waiter, Count and God respectively, are Doggess and Passengeress not correct?
I was speechless, his reasoning was perfect.
I looked at him and said; “Don’t ask silly questions, what am I? A dictionary? No! So stopping questioning me!! I just told you, let the words be, do not put pressure on them, they are happy as they are.”
“You are such an ass” he said.
What’s the feminine form of ass? I asked
Booty, he replied.
I ask you now dear readers, why doesn’t that apply to all words? Why? Why?
Why if a Doctor feels the need to be a Doctress do we have to stop him?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
interesting. Don’t the french have words for both sexes?
If I’m not mistaken all Romance Languages do.
Yes, but it doesn’t necessarily make it easier. Some words you can tell if they’re masculine and feminine by the ending but most of the time you have to just learn and/or guess – a great tradition of frustration for French-second-language learners. In addition, the gendered words can make the language quite cumbersome. For example, if a politician were writing a letter to his constituents, to write “Dear Citizens,” he would have to write, “Chères citoyennes, chers citoyens,” You can’t win.
Dominatrix is female. I know that from experience, having counselled several of them.
Yeah, guys are called Masters, not that I have counseled any.
This is why I will forever be one of thise ignorant English tourist pointing at things and shouting loudly as I have never got to grips with the feminine and masculine of French, Spanish and Italian. How you can apply a sex to a table or a chair I will never understand. Some chairs may be more manly than other chairs.
a beach chair for me has always been a girl, as it is folding chair, however, an armchair is a guy, clearly or a butchy lesbian.
I see how it works now!
BTW, tomorrow is Goldilocks time.
Joe, if you haven’t been applying sex to chairs, it’s possible you may be doing it wrong…
I only have benches round my dining, definitely doing it wrong
Sexes are treated shabbily in English – that’s why we have such trouble with all Romance languages.
Would be nice if could change things as we please.
Ha, great point. Having studied French, Spanish and Italian, that issue definitely came up! I speak Italian fluently and still sometimes make a mistake and end the word in “o” instead of “a” and my Italian family was truly bewildered. If you ever get confused as to whether Coccolino is a boy or girl, look at the last letter
Oink oink,
Katie and Coccolino the mini pig
Coccolino is a boy cuz his name ends in O and because he has a wee lol
Poignant ponderings Leo…..and I totally agree about how confusing the male/female/word thing is ESPECIALLY in English. English is a ridiculously difficult language to learn – you can look at my grades in English class in school and tell I was confused (!) and I’m American for pete’s sake. Goldilocks time tomorrow? Great…I’ll be here. Goldilockess????
Pam
Ohh Pam, at this point in my life I don’t even know what’s my main language, I still do math in English, dream in English and Portuguese, curse and Spanish and English. But my writing skills suck in all.
All languages that I know of have masculine and feminine – but really is’ that important – in Sweden when it’s about professions we use the same title for both sexes. I don’t see why there should be a name that covers both sexes – because I like boys to be boys and girls to be girls.
I understand that it maybe isn’t be fair for those that it doesn’t really apply to – gay and transsexuals, but what I understand is there a male and female partner in their partnership too.
Viveka, transsexuals are something that I do not dare to questions because it’s way beyond my capacity to understand what goes up in the brain, it’s clearly not an anatomical issue. As for gays, well, I have plenty of experience in that, as I am one so is easy for to tell you how it works.
I’ve been in long relationships, current one being the longest (5years living together) and I’ve never felt like there’s a woman/man, we are both man. What defines woman roll when neither of us is anatomically a girl?
The chores you do at home? If that was the case my mom would be my dad, cuz at home my dad would do the cooking and mom has never been fund of doing the washing, I’ve been washing my clothes since I was 10.
Yes, there are many effeminate gays (we call them flaming gays) and really manly lesbians (aka butchy lesbian or truck drivers), but that doesn’t change what you are.
This goes well beyond behavioral and physiological and even sociological issues.
I like to keep it simple, we are what we are.
Regarding word and grammatical matters, those are pain in the ass cuz there’s no way around.
Here here
I’m keeping out of this one..LOL cause I always seem to get easily mixed up with things..Did you know seahorses are male and female?? See told ya. xxx
Mollie and Alfie
Mollie, I’m the one who asks questions here.
Bwhaha. I used to do volunteer work tutoring English. I had similar discussions with my students all of the time. My answer was always, it is English, don’t ask.
Exactly, don’t ask why, it just is.
I’m eager to see what you have to say about Goldilocks!
I hope it meets your expectations
One thing for sure, I won’t let this bewilder me …. but I will continue to ponder the dilemmas in my own language … like the different ways to pronounce power mower.
I gave up on those long ago.
ha ha … for those that don’t know:
POW er MOE er
POE er MOW er
POE er MOE er
POW er MOW er
I’m afraid to ask what the feminine form of penis is.
I should ask that to our readers in the future, as a matter of fact I will, I’m curious now.
Clitoris
I’ll take two!
that’s an interesting question from El Guapo – can’t wait for the answer ;o)
You’ll have your chance to guess, no worries.
English is easy. The Romance Languages are hard. In French “le maison” and Spanish “la casa” so the same word isn’t consistent. It’s much easier in English-”the house”. Or the Spanish “el agua” where a masculine noun ends in “A”. I don’t even want to start discussing German with the two sexes plus somethings are “neuter”. I’ll stick with the easy English way. I submit it’s harder to learn a Romance Language than English because of this.
I agree, but also every person will tell you the same about their mother tongue, Spanish is easy because it sounds as it’s written. Yeah for you that speak Spanish.
French is a mess, it has a million letters that you omit, makes no sense, was a headache learning it.
I can’t even figure this out and I speak the damn language!
I heard you!
I just could never figure out WHY certain words had gender. I mean, in Spanish, a pencil is masculine but a pen is feminine? What?!? I guess women weren’t supposed to use pencils? What kind of screwed-up concept is that?
And don’t ask me about the whole “-ess” thing. That’s hosed my brain over for DECADES!
Woman weren’t supposed to leave the cave, ask the Pope or Popess I don’t even know with that guy guyess
I disagree with Kyla that English is easy. There are far too many dumb rules, and equally as many exceptions to the rules!
What I find strangest about gender in Spanish, is that when you have a a group of people/animals of mixed gender, they are automatically given the male form. That’s sort of a macho way of doing things no?
Examples:
Brother – Hermano
Sister – Hermana
A group of brothers and sisters Hermanos… brothers.
Thats not cool, well, sometimes its cool, but not always. And as for my parents, when I refer to them together: Mis Padres or Mis Papas – they are then my Fathers? I will always feel like I am saying my Mom is a man.
In German, ‘spoon’ is masculine (der Löffel), ‘fork’ is feminine (die Gabel), ‘knife’ is of neutral gender (das Messer). Logical… In French, ‘love’ is masculine in singular (amour) but mostly feminine in plural (??? what does it mean here “mostly”?).
my, my…such deep thoughts…about something so simple…the word is what you want it to be…the speaker gives it gender through intention…and no, I have not one example
We all are equally lost, it’s ok. As long as we can communicate, or sorta, we’ll be fine.