Re: Indo-European Languages and Gramatical Gender Loss

In message <4671316f$0$15302$8404b019@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Trond Engen <trondnet@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes

[...]

I've been told (in an other group by a professional translator who had found it a point to be aware of in his work) that the British refer to any dog as "him"

That would be the sub-genus of British who distinguish between "dog" and "bitch"?

and any cat as "her".

Not when she's called "Tom"!

Referring to "the British" as though they behaved the same in this respect is an unjustifiably sweeping over-generalisation.

Personally, I refer to both dogs and cats as "it", unless the actual sex of the animal is both known and relevant, or the owner is in earshot.

--
Richard Herring
.

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