本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛In French language, unlike in English, nouns are designated as either
masculine or feminine:" House" is feminine -"la maison." Pencil," is
masculine -"le crayon."
Recently, French language scholars had to decide what gender is the word "Computer". Instead of just deciding amongst themselves, the scholars decide to form two groups- male and female - and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for their recommendation.
The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the
feminine gender ("la computer"), because
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is
incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for possible latter review; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half of your salary on accessories for it.
The women's group, however, concluded that computer should be masculine("lecomputer") because
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they
themselves are problems; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realise that if you had waited a
little longer, you could have gotten a better model.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
masculine or feminine:" House" is feminine -"la maison." Pencil," is
masculine -"le crayon."
Recently, French language scholars had to decide what gender is the word "Computer". Instead of just deciding amongst themselves, the scholars decide to form two groups- male and female - and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for their recommendation.
The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the
feminine gender ("la computer"), because
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is
incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for possible latter review; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half of your salary on accessories for it.
The women's group, however, concluded that computer should be masculine("lecomputer") because
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they
themselves are problems; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realise that if you had waited a
little longer, you could have gotten a better model.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net