attributive freshman

[hpst@earthlink.net]

Fritz and Amy,

This brings up the problem with the word coed which is gender specific.

I could be wrong but I think that it is related to the fact that the words,
sophomore, junior and senior are non gender specific and that unlike
freshman you can simply add an s to them in order make them plural if only
because freshmans sounds forced.

Page Stephens

> [Original Message]
> From: FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: 11/2/2006 2:23:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] attributive freshman
>
> This has been a topic of conversation in our English Department for some
> time.  I am happy with freshman (and am also a German speaker).  Do you
> also want 'sophomores girls', 'juniors girls,' and 'seniors girls'?
> Fritz J
>
> >>> medievalist at W-STS.COM 11/2/2006 9:40 AM >>>
> I'm curious as to others' responses about this use:
>
> When I see "freshman" used attributively, I have the instinct to
> decline it to agree with its noun in number. Does anyone else?
>
> For example: when I see "freshman girls" I want to change it to
> "freshmen girls." My second language is German, so I'm wondering if
> this instinct is grounded in the native English syntax or is some
> interference from a foreign language where we make adjectives agree
> in number and case.
>
> ---Amy West
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org