[Lexicog] gendered language references

[Hayim Sheynin]

Dear Ken,
  
  On the other hand, what is striking that Latin word patria is feminine.  If you can imagine a simile that you country like a mother for you, why  patria even it is derived etimologically from pater, cannot be   feminine.
  The same relates to patrimonia. The problem with gender of these words lie
  not with the language, but rather with the thought. On one hand, you may explain 
  that patria is the country of your forefathers and  foremothers and patrimonia  is
  the property (and legacy) of your forefathers and foremothers,  on the other that
  the roots of these words reflect reality of the patriarchal society, where fathers were the "top" persons. 
  
  --Hayim Sheynin
   
"Kenneth C. Hill" <kennethchill at yahoo.com> wrote:                                                  Grammatical  gender is an insufficient explanation. I find it striking that in  Spanish, the word for "fatherland" is grammatically feminine: la  patria. Patria is a Latin word derived from pat(e)r 'father' + the  feminine derivational suffix -ia.

--Ken

saghar sharifi <saghar_sharifi at yahoo.com> wrote:
                             
The answer to your question would be that in some languages, as in German, the word " language " is feminine.
   
   Leman <wayne_leman at sil.org> wrote:
      I'm wondering about English terms for kinds of languages:

Why do we speak of a mother tongue but not a father tongue?

Why do we speak of sister languages but not brother languages?

Why are there daughter languages but not son languages?

Why can we refer to both a motherland and a fatherland?

Do other languages  use kinship terms to refer to language relationships?

Wayne
-----
Wayne Leman
Cheyenne dictionary online:
http://www11.asphost4free.com/cheyennedictionary/default.htm



   
---------------------------------
Sponsored Link

Rates near 39yr lows. $510,000 Loan for $1698/mo -    Calculate new house payment
     
            
     

---------------------------------
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
      
                                    

 
---------------------------------
Cheap Talk? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lexicography/attachments/20061124/4e778585/attachment.htm>