Strange Question

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warspite1
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Strange Question

Post by warspite1 »

Something came up in another thread that has prompted this question:

We (in the UK) refer to ships and cars and the like as "She".

Do other countries do the same?
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RE: Strange Question

Post by Rodwonder »

Ships and cars here in the USA. At least from the male perspective... [8D]
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RE: Strange Question

Post by TheGrayMouser »

Not sure if Tom Clancy was accurate on this, but in Red Storm he has the soviets referring to their ships as "he"
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RE: Strange Question

Post by decaro »

Romance languages use masculine and feminine articles to describe inanimate objects that are often referred to by ESL students as "he" or "she" on second reference.

But then there's Star Trek's "The Man Trap":

Yeoman Janice Rand: [to one of Sulu's plants] Hello, Beauregard. How are you today, darling?

Sulu: Her name's Gertrude.

Yeoman Janice Rand: No, it's a he plant. A girl can tell.

Sulu: Why do people have to call inanimate objects 'she'? Like, um, "she's a fast ship".

Yeoman Janice Rand: He is not an inanimate object. He's so animate he makes me nervous. In fact, I keep expecting one of these plants of yours to, er, grab me.
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RE: Strange Question

Post by terje439 »

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Something came up in another thread that has prompted this question:

We (in the UK) refer to ships and cars and the like as "She".

Do other countries do the same?


Same in Norway
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RE: Strange Question

Post by wings7 »

Vin Scully, play-by-play broadcaster of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team often calls a home run hit like this:
"There's a drive to deep left field, away back and she is gone!" [:D]

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RE: Strange Question

Post by warspite1 »

What about Germany?
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RE: Strange Question

Post by WarHunter »

Answer #8 – A ship is called “she” because . . .

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz put it more succinctly in an address to the Society of Sponsors of the United States Navy: "A ship is always referred to as 'she' because it costs so much to keep one in paint and powder."


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RE: Strange Question

Post by Rising-Sun »

In American, yeah we call them she. Remember watching "In Harm Ways" when Kirk Douglas said something about that heavy cruiser he was on while under repair and said "She like a real Lady" and John Wayne said "She is the real Lady!". Few other videos i have seen during WWII, the Americans refer ships as she. Guess some do and some dont. Later on after WWII, could have changed.
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RE: Strange Question

Post by Greyshaft »

I recall that the Graf Spee and its brothers - Deutschland class heavy cruisers - were referred to as "he".

Not sure where I read it.
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RE: Strange Question

Post by british exil »

In Germany the ships are a "she" even if they have male names.

The german article that I read said that it dates back to when the men at sea referred their ship to the bride that was at him. Thus the ship was their woman.

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RE: Strange Question

Post by Orm »

ORIGINAL: british exil

In Germany the ships are a "she" even if they have male names.

The german article that I read said that it dates back to when the men at sea referred their ship to the bride that was at him. Thus the ship was their woman.

Mat
Are you sure that this applies to Kriegsmarine ships of WWII? I've seem to recall them referred to as of masculine or neutral gender.
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RE: Strange Question

Post by british exil »

Yep.

The "Bismark" is in German die Bismark. die = feminin.
The "Prinz Eugen" was referred as "der Prinz" or "der Eugen", which was then referring to a male

The german marine school ship "Gorch Fock II" names after a german writer is also a she, even though she has a male name.

The "Imperator" was a she, but the Kasier Wihelm II let it be changed it to a him when the ship was christened.

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RE: Strange Question

Post by Aurelian »

The captain of the Bismarck preferred that his ship was referred to as "he"
 
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RE: Strange Question

Post by Gilmer »

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Romance languages use masculine and feminine articles to describe inanimate objects that are often referred to by ESL students as "he" or "she" on second reference.

But then there's Star Trek's "The Man Trap":

Yeoman Janice Rand: [to one of Sulu's plants] Hello, Beauregard. How are you today, darling?

Sulu: Her name's Gertrude.

Yeoman Janice Rand: No, it's a he plant. A girl can tell.

Sulu: Why do people have to call inanimate objects 'she'? Like, um, "she's a fast ship".

Yeoman Janice Rand: He is not an inanimate object. He's so animate he makes me nervous. In fact, I keep expecting one of these plants of yours to, er, grab me.

Well, Sulu certainly wasn't going to!
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RE: Strange Question

Post by decaro »

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Romance languages use masculine and feminine articles to describe inanimate objects that are often referred to by ESL students as "he" or "she" on second reference.

But then there's Star Trek's "The Man Trap":

Yeoman Janice Rand: [to one of Sulu's plants] Hello, Beauregard. How are you today, darling?

Sulu: Her name's Gertrude.

Yeoman Janice Rand: No, it's a he plant. A girl can tell.

Sulu: Why do people have to call inanimate objects 'she'? Like, um, "she's a fast ship".

Yeoman Janice Rand: He is not an inanimate object. He's so animate he makes me nervous. In fact, I keep expecting one of these plants of yours to, er, grab me.

Well, Sulu certainly wasn't going to!

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