Posts: 5165
Threads: 514
Joined: December 26, 2013
Reputation:
60
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 1:18 pm
I suppose it could have to do with the innate possessiveness associated with owning a member of the female sex as well as a certain fondness for the object and a desire to personify something that essentially is responsible for the safety and welfare of those riding it. I’m rather surprised at myself for falling into the idiom without questioning it. It’s obviously sexist but perhaps not overtly misogynistic.
Posts: 19789
Threads: 57
Joined: September 24, 2010
Reputation:
85
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 1:25 pm
(This post was last modified: July 13, 2015 at 1:27 pm by Anomalocaris.)
For some reason it seems to be fashionable to attribute any tradition involving the feminine pronoun to "objectification" of women. I think it's carried too far.
I think ships were called "she" simply because by long tradition, women were generally not allowed aboard ships, and yet shipboard life were very arduous and perilous until recently, and the life and limb of the sailors depended on the ship faithfully and dutifully performing its role. So sailor psychologically associated the ship at sea with a faithful wife on land, much as what was considered a good wife might make a man's life on land easier and less perilous, so a good ship might make a man's life at sea easier and less perilous.
Even if division of labor, power and reward between men and women were unfair by modern standards, wishing a ship would be faithful and dutiful like what was considered the good woman if not in itself objectification of women.
Posts: 981
Threads: 74
Joined: July 1, 2015
Reputation:
10
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 1:34 pm
(This post was last modified: July 13, 2015 at 1:37 pm by rado84.)
(July 13, 2015 at 3:23 am)excitedpenguin Wrote: (July 13, 2015 at 3:16 am)Atheist_BG Wrote: I stick to the grammatical rules.
You sound boring!
Grammar is there for us, not the other way around. You can overstep it if you like.
It's not about fashion but about education. Using the wrong grammatical forms only tells other people you're not well enough educated. Just like many people (mostly Americans) don't know the difference between the conditional moods "was" and "were". While many people say "if god was real" the correct form is "if god were real". I don't know about you but I don't like people thinking about me I've skipped classes, which I've never done (cuz English classes were my favorites at school and I never skipped even one).
Posts: 9479
Threads: 116
Joined: July 5, 2015
Reputation:
23
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 1:40 pm
(July 13, 2015 at 1:34 pm)Atheist_BG Wrote: (July 13, 2015 at 3:23 am)excitedpenguin Wrote: You sound boring!
Grammar is there for us, not the other way around. You can overstep it if you like.
It's not about fashion but about education. Using the wrong grammatical forms only tells other people you're not well enough educated. Just like many people (mostly Americans) don't know the difference between the conditional moods "was" and "were". While many people say "if god was real" the correct form is "if god were real". I don't know about you but I don't like people thinking about me I've skipped classes, which I've never done (cuz English classes were my favorite at school and I never skipped even one).
You're being pedantic, for no reason at all. You can't know it's mostly americans. Don't be such an asshole.
I know a great deal of people who know a lot more about their own language than you do about yours , I'm sure, that choose to speak incorrectly on occasion - there's a thing we do that is called being playful.
Posts: 3395
Threads: 43
Joined: February 8, 2015
Reputation:
33
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 1:45 pm
(July 13, 2015 at 1:34 pm)Atheist_BG Wrote: (July 13, 2015 at 3:23 am)excitedpenguin Wrote: You sound boring!
Grammar is there for us, not the other way around. You can overstep it if you like.
It's not about fashion but about education. Using the wrong grammatical forms only tells other people you're not well enough educated. Just like many people (mostly Americans) don't know the difference between the conditional moods "was" and "were". While many people say "if god was real" the correct form is "if god were real". I don't know about you but I don't like people thinking about me I've skipped classes, which I've never done (cuz English classes were my favorites at school and I never skipped even one).
If you are going to criticize people for incorrect grammar, you should make a better effort to use correct grammar yourself. Your last sentence is a garbled mess. It is much worse than someone using "was" when "were" would be correct.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
Posts: 981
Threads: 74
Joined: July 1, 2015
Reputation:
10
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 1:53 pm
(This post was last modified: July 13, 2015 at 2:02 pm by rado84.)
(July 13, 2015 at 1:40 pm)excitedpenguin Wrote: You can't know it's mostly americans. Don't be such an asshole.
I know a great deal of people who know a lot more about their own language than you do about yours , I'm sure, that choose to speak incorrectly on occasion - there's a thing we do that is called being playful.
Yes, I can because in the most of the time I talk to Americans one way or another - forums, e-mails, sometimes even voice calls on Skype.
I'm not asshole. Judging by another topic on AF, it's not me who's being an asshole. Our cute girl tried to help you but you proved to her you don't deserve to be helped, so think again who the asshole is.
Unlike America in Bulgaria personal ratings at school are not marked by letters but by numbers - 2 is the lowest and 6 is the highest. My rating about Bulgarian grammar is 5.92. Only me and another 2 percent of the entire nation have the same rating as mine. All other ratings are below 4.00. Only when you achieve such a rating you can talk about what I know or not know.
(July 13, 2015 at 1:45 pm)Pyrrho Wrote: (July 13, 2015 at 1:34 pm)Atheist_BG Wrote: It's not about fashion but about education. Using the wrong grammatical forms only tells other people you're not well enough educated. Just like many people (mostly Americans) don't know the difference between the conditional moods "was" and "were". While many people say "if god was real" the correct form is "if god were real". I don't know about you but I don't like people thinking about me I've skipped classes, which I've never done (cuz English classes were my favorites at school and I never skipped even one).
If you are going to criticize people for incorrect grammar, you should make a better effort to use correct grammar yourself. Your last sentence is a garbled mess. It is much worse than someone using "was" when "were" would be correct. When I'm tired I make mistakes.
![[Image: OAsWbDZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/OAsWbDZ.png)
Posts: 6120
Threads: 64
Joined: June 5, 2013
Reputation:
65
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 2:31 pm
My sister named her car Joey and referred to it as a "he" if/when personifying it.
My mom and sister named my car Isabella, but I never refer to it by name. It's just my car. 
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
Posts: 23918
Threads: 300
Joined: June 25, 2011
Reputation:
151
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Basically if you can get inside of it ..
Posts: 4664
Threads: 100
Joined: November 22, 2013
Reputation:
39
Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 6:45 pm
It really depends on the personality of the vehicle. Some of my vehicles have been transgendered I believe.
Posts: 35309
Threads: 205
Joined: August 13, 2012
Reputation:
146
RE: Question to all Americans: why do you refer to vehicles and ships as "she"?
July 13, 2015 at 6:47 pm
Well, ships because they end up full of seamen...
Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:
"You did WHAT? With WHO? WHERE???"
|
