"She" becomes "It"

[Alan Wheeler]

My boats a she because I have to keep spending lots of money on her :-)

Firstly, I am no english scholar, so I may not be able to explain this well. Represented by the fact I can't spell for crap. But here goes..... and someone maybe able to offer a more Edumacated description....
Actually this is a language thing. English has masculine and feminine representations. English is a mix of Latin, French and German origine. Within those languages are Masculine and Feminie identities to words. I don't know Latin well, not German, but I did study French and the French language is mainly devided into Masculine and Feminine.
I think with this as a basis, the Language just became Tradition.

[senormechanico]

I call my dinghy she-it.

[hellosailor]

Wheels, you've got it half right. In some languages some words have a masculine or feminine form, or both. But our English and pre-English western cultures trace back to the Greek, where ships are literally imbued with a female spirit, daughters of Poseidon, and if the word happens to be in a female form that is because it is the name of a female embodiment--not vice versa.

Besides, there are five, count 'em five, human sexes, not two. Walk down a crowded street, walk into a stadium or a theatre, somewhere in your sight are people who are in the three hermaphrodite sexes. And I have no idea what pronouns are considered appropriate for each of the three of those, but "it" would probably get you decked by all of them.<G>

[Starbuck]

Spanish, Portugese, French, Italian and Romanian are the Romance languages, the daughter languages of Latin, and use a prescribed gender, known as grammatical gender.

In German, which has been mentioned, the grammatical gender of a noun is determined by many factors, including the form (spelling) of the end of the noun, and cultural perception: things with motors, like cars, planes, etc. are generally masculine in gender, although motorcycles are feminine: der BMW is a car; die BMW is a motorcycle. Go figure.

So in German, "the" has three forms, each needing to match the grammatical gender of the noun: der = masculine; die = feminine, das = neuter. But grammatical gender can be a bit illogical at times: das fraulein (the girl) is neuter, because the suffix -lein makes a noun neuter.

English is a "borrowing language" that contains much vocabulary from Latin, French, and other languages, but is not related to them. It is a Germanic language, but unlike German uses what is known as natural gender: things that are male (sex) have masculine gender; things that are female have feminine gender; things which have no sex (no jokes, please) are neuter in gender.

In English, "the" does the whole job (natural gender). The personal pronouns he/she/it follow natural (sexual) categories.

Referring to objects as "he" or "she" in a language with natural gender is simply a function of anthropomorphizing (seeing things in human terms: a function of the imagination and ability to think in the abstract), not the grammar. Things of beauty, speed, style and grace are typically thought of in feminine terms in English: the auto-pilot usually gets a masculine name if you're into that sort of thing; but the yacht herself is referred to in the feminine. Of course, this is a matter of style, so referring to the yacht as "it" breaks no grammatical rule in English).

Still, it's sad to see Lloyd's choose PC over tradition.

Now that's more than you wanted to know…

[Alan Wheeler]

Wow, mate, that was quite something.

Things of beauty, speed, style and grace

No wonder sailing vessels get a Feminine name.

[bearphish]

a PC change in policy/terminology made by those who don't even sail...
why would they think it even matters on this side of the money? we will always refer/call "it" what we feel like, right?

[Reality Check]

My s/v is a she, my mistress, my dink is a he maybe a drinking buddy. The dink is always running around, making noise, getting into scrapes, sticking his noise in to push his way to a dink dock. A small power boat is an it... no real personality that I have detected... just a conveyance/ platform.

I think most people think of s/v's as she's and will continue to do so. I will not mention what I consider the ski boats and Personal Water Crafts but they are typically only a small portion of a body and both he's, she's and its have one and it is not an opinion...

[ksmith]

Dan and Dunker are on the mark.

To take it a little further. Saw a special on TV in post WWII germany changed meanings of words to cover actions against certain groups. Short Version but still true.

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by GordMay

SHIPS NO LONGER CHICKS
Lloyd's List decides to refer to vessels as 'it' - rather than - 'she' from now on.
British Newspaper Lloyds List Neuters Ships

[AudreyK]

Sorry gents I can't agree, calling a sailboat she is just silly. Anything with a mast has got to be a he!

[JGarrick]

Originally Posted by GordMay

I seem to recall that Russians call their ships "he". Can anyone confirm/correct?

That sounds suspiciously like cold war propaganda. I'd have to see credible references for it before I'd believe it. The Russion navy is a child of most of the same seafaring traditions as the rest of the world.

The same would apply to the Bismarck. Every reference to it I've seen has called the ship "she" whenever it didn't use the name.

In reply to the original post, I guess I don't much care. If you want to call your boat a she, be my guest, but I don't think anyone's been emasculated by calling ships "it" instead of "she." Personally, I doubt most people would notice if you didn't point out the change to them.

[mickmul]

Check out Harry Chapin's song "Flowers are Red" . . .but . . . is a boat called she because . . .
It (sic) has a lovely roundy bottom?
It has a lot of paint and brightwork topsides?
It takes a good man to handle her? (just a play on words - no offence to any ladies intended!!)
There is a lot of bustle about her?
When in harbour she heads for the bouys?
She can be expensive to maintain? (I'm on thin ice now!)

No, a boat is called "she" because it carries life . . . I won't be changing.

[mickmul]

Knottybuoyz you beat me to it!! I had to try to remember that and type it out! Nice to have the full text!!

[perchance]

As long as you don,t call it Bruce!

[SabreKai]

I will refer to them as "she" til the day I die. Lloyds of London can blow it out their shorts as far as Im concerned.