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 Topic: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!

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  • 1« Previous thread | Next thread »
  • Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     OP - September 22, 2010, 04:37 PM
    In the English language, when you say "Come here" or "Call me" or "The student went to school" it is not known if you are talking to/about a male or a female. However, in the Arabic language, it is immediately clear. Sentences differ according to the sex of the subject.

    For example: إتصلي بي is "call me" when addressing a female, and إتصل بي is when addressing a male. The letter ي is added to tell that it is a female you are talking to.

    So can you guys according to your own mother languages tell me if this is the case or not? I am curious to find out.  Huh?
    ...
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #1 - September 22, 2010, 04:49 PM
    German and Turkish are like English in this case.

    TurkishGerman
    Come hereGel burayaKomm her
    Call meAra beniRuf mich an
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  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #2 - September 22, 2010, 04:55 PM
    Quote from: Aziz on September 22, 2010, 04:49 PM
    German and Turkish are like English in this case.

    TurkishGerman
    Come hereGel burayaKomm her
    Call meAra beniRuf mich an


    So you say "Gel buraya" when you addressing a boy or a girl just the same?
    ...
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #3 - September 22, 2010, 05:01 PM
    In Italian:

    Not in this particular case (imperative mode of a verb).
    But there are other cases in which the sex of the subject or the object can be understood from verbs, pronouns or adjectives.

    Examples:

    Dove sei stato?  = Where have you been (male)? / Dove sei stata?  = Where have you been (female)?
    Sono stanco = I am tired (male) / Sono stanca = I am tired (female)
    Do not look directly at the operational end of the device.
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #4 - September 22, 2010, 05:07 PM
    thanks Tlaloc and Aziz. Afro
    ...
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #5 - September 22, 2010, 05:08 PM
    Quote from: RIBS on September 22, 2010, 04:55 PM
    So you say "Gel buraya" when you addressing a boy or a girl just the same?


    Yes. Turkish is mainly a gender-neutral language. Just like English, but even the pronouns are neutral.

    "He/She/It" in Turkish is just "O". For example: "O inandı" = "He/She/It believed".
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  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #6 - September 22, 2010, 05:11 PM
    An additional note:

    EVERY noun in Italian has a gender: male or female.
    There is no neutral gender.
    Even for abstract nouns.

    So, for example:
    sun = sole (male)
    moon = luna (female)
    air = aria (female)
    computer = calcolatore (male)
    infinity = infinito (male)
    death = morte (female)
    life = vita (female)

    and so on ;P
    Do not look directly at the operational end of the device.
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #7 - September 22, 2010, 05:23 PM
    Quote from: RIBS on September 22, 2010, 04:55 PM
    So you say "Gel buraya" when you addressing a boy or a girl just the same?

    same applies also to urdu, its a mostly gender neutral language i think
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  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #8 - September 22, 2010, 07:40 PM
    Quote from: Tlaloc on September 22, 2010, 05:11 PM
    An additional note:

    EVERY noun in Italian has a gender: male or female.
    There is no neutral gender.
    Even for abstract nouns.

    So, for example:
    sun = sole (male)
    moon = luna (female)
    air = aria (female)
    computer = calcolatore (male)
    infinity = infinito (male)
    death = morte (female)
    life = vita (female)

    and so on ;P


    interesting...  yes
    ...
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #9 - September 22, 2010, 09:19 PM
    Quote from: RIBS on September 22, 2010, 07:40 PM
    interesting...  yes

    Some more context to Tlaloc's statement. Most European languages (except Basque) as well as Iranian, Sanskrit and some other languages (including Pushtu and I think Urdu) derive from a single  proto-indo-european language.  Originally this differentiated between animate and inanimate objects, this later was divided into male, female and neuter - and eventually objects no longer needed to correspond to "correct" animate, inanimate,male,female category.

    Older languages (such as Latin and Old Greek) had the male, female, neuter distinction - the languages derived from Latin (the Romance languages:French, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumantsch),  lost the neuter (it was subsumed into the male) - as demonstrated by Tlaloc in Italian.

    Other languages (Russian, German) retain the male, female and neuter. In Danish, Swedish etc. the male and female were again reduced to a "common" gender.  
    In English, they completely abolished the distinctions - and nouns are genderless.
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #10 - September 22, 2010, 09:22 PM
    .
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #11 - September 22, 2010, 10:31 PM
    Quote from: IsLame on September 22, 2010, 05:23 PM
    same applies also to urdu, its a mostly gender neutral language i think

    Nah, urdu has masculine and feminine too.

    eg... "I'm going" in urdu is "Main chalee" for a female and "Main chalaa" for a male.
    .
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #12 - September 22, 2010, 10:38 PM
    Quote from: Shahid Raza on September 22, 2010, 10:31 PM
    Nah, urdu has masculine and feminine too.

    eg... "I'm going" in urdu is "Main chalee" for a female and "Main chalaa" for a male.

    I suppose it does in these cases, but not in the ones RIBS gave ?
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  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #13 - September 22, 2010, 10:41 PM
    "Come here" and "call me" would be gender neutral in urdu.

    "The student went to school" however would be "Student school gya tha" for male, and "Student school gai thi" for female.
    .
  • Re: Addressing a He or a She in Your Language!
     Reply #14 - September 22, 2010, 10:52 PM
    Yeah, seems like orders are gender neutral, and polite speak become gender specific.
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