The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #132499 Message #4052466
Posted By: Mrrzy
14-May-20 - 01:21 PM
Thread Name: BS: Language Pet Peeves
Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves
German has neuter but then doesn't use it for neuter things. Table is masculine. Sun is feminine. Maiden is neuter. Sigh.
Spanish and French have masculine and feminine but no neuter. I use both in written French, e.g. je suis content(e). Spoken is more difficult... I tend to pause after Content, then pronounce the T.
In Spanish the noun Mar (sea) is masculine unless you are a sailor, when it becomes feminine. In French, the noun Amour (love) is masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural. Now *that* tells you something!
The funniest was someone appropriately using They (referring to me) at which point I almost said No, that was me. Learning curves all around.
I wonder what people thought while You, originally plural (thee was the singular), was shifting to mean the singular as well...