LL-L "Grammar" 2008.07.09 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 09 July 2008 - Volume 03
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2008.07.08 (05) [E]

 Beste Jonny:

Subject: LL-L Grammar

You asked:
How do you in English use the gender of the word *_person_* *(neuter)* in
the following context?
Just imagine, you watched a person which (or who?) is suspected to have been
involved in a crime. Because it was dark, you could not see, if it had
been a man or a woman. How do you tell it the police constable? "I saw a
tall *person* with a black hat and a grey coat. (_He_? _She_? _It_?) ran
down the street to the left side." It should be 'it', I guess? But it sounds
in a certain way strange for me. (If I would replace _person_ by
'individual' my problem wouldn't be solved!)

Must you use the word person? There is a more accessible & less specific
term of Anglo-Saxon origin as opposed to the Latin; 'someone'.
I would say this:
"I saw *someone* tall with a black hat & a grey coat run down the street to
the left side."
It seems to me that some time in the past the English language not only
dumped gender-specific terminology but simultaneously & necessarily adopted
constructions avoiding the necessity of using them. These are more familiar
in informal English.

Mind you, one does the same in Afrikaans:
"Toe sien ek *iemand* lank met 'n swarte hoed en gryse jas straat-af aan die
linker kant weghardloop."

Die Uwe,
Mark

•

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