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#113740 10/15/03 01:37 PM
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Why are nations assigned genders? Why are most English as first language speaking countries female? Whay aer others male?
I am extremely curious about this. Please tell me!


#113741 10/15/03 01:46 PM
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La belle France? La Argentina? ¿La España? Das Deutschland?



#113742 10/15/03 03:40 PM
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Maybe because she is your motherland! The feminine provokes more fidelity, I suppose; 'Breathes there a man with soul so dead....' and all!
But seriously, I have no idea why "mother"-land, but have enough time today to search.


#113743 10/15/03 05:17 PM
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But the Germans say 'Fatherland.' (nice to see you, maahey!)

I'm not quite sure I understand what you're driving at, Scilla. What is your target language? I mean, in English, country names, and nouns in general, have no gender anymore.


#113744 10/15/03 05:40 PM
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the Germans say 'Fatherland.'

True, but Vaterland is neuter, in't it then?


#113745 10/15/03 09:01 PM
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And then there's Mother Russia (mats rossiya).


#113746 10/15/03 09:05 PM
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what about hienmat? (homeland?) i've heard this is a more common word that is used by germans to speak of germany.

i can't think of any names used in US for the land.. (the are some 'land where our fathers died..' but very few with the idea of father land or motherland..
there is 'down east' in main, and 'old home' (used up and down the east coast.(my M-I-L's family in Northern NE uses Old home to speak of the area, and there is the song "my old kentucky home" and a whisky (tennessie?) called 'old home'...

cathleen has been used in ireland as a 'code word' for ireland. (when english laws made it a crime to express patriotism, love songs sung to 'cathleen' were patriot songs...)


#113747 10/16/03 01:51 AM
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Thanks AnnaS! The feeling is entirely mutual!
Well, I searched a little bit, but returned home empty-handed. Rather than fidelity, (which I really was only joking with), fertility is probably at the heart of the matter. The country that you are *born in, being the motherland. Fatherland, got me thinking....In Sanskrit , 'mathrubhoomi' is motherland and means the land that you are born in, whilst 'pithrubhoomi', means the land of your ancestors. FWTW

(mathruh - mother/ pithruh - father/ bhoomi - land).


#113748 10/16/03 04:55 AM
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country names, and nouns in general, have no gender anymore. Yet, talking of France, or Italy, you invariably use the pronoun "she". - Do you ever say "they" for the U.S.A.?



#113749 10/16/03 10:10 AM
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Heimat is feminine.


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