NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/alt/folklore/urban/32437

Text File | 1993-01-03 | 1.7 KB | 34 lines

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Path: sparky!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!bjackson
From: [e-mail] (Ben Jackson)
Subject: Re: African-American-top
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 20:20:52 GMT
Lines: 23

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Bruce Tindall) writes:
>
>And to round things out, in German, following the logical rule that all
>diminutives are neuter, girls have no gender at all.  Das Fraeulein (neuter)
>is the diminutive of "die Frau" (the (feminine gender) woman).

Yes, all diminutives (formed by adding lein or chen and usually umlauting)
are neuter.  But don't be so quick to say it's a "logical rule".  Most
Germans act suprised when you point out the "rules" of their language--
they just know what *sounds* right, they don't have to study it.

On a barely related note, I'd have to advise you use "das Fr\"aulein", as
my last prof told me that "ae" is not an acceptable substitute for "\"a",
where I'm using \"a to represent a "real" a-umlaut.  I find it strange,
in that case, that so many native Germans do it on the de.groups.

>Bruce "first time I've ever heard that in the pluperfect subjunctive" Tindall

Ben "I tried to tell that the other day and only remembered the punchline" J."
--
"The direction of the eye, so misleading...
 The defection of the soul, nauseously quick." -- Pearl Jam, _Garden_
Ben Jackson, [e-mail], [e-mail]