Women, what do you think about boats being referred to as female?

[Sailorbob8599]

Glossophilia wrote: "But seriously: why are ships and countries (and sometimes cars and other vessels and vehicles) often referred to with the feminine pronoun?

Ahemmm! Not ALL countries, that's for sure. I'll give you there is "Old Mother England" but what about "Choymany, vitch iss often called Der Fahderland"????? France is Bi-sexual I do believe! but let's not go there. and let's not forget "Uncle Sam"

[TrentePieds]

Oh, DO let's go there, SailorBob :-) Please account for why The Sceptered Isle is known now and then as John Bull and now and then as Brittania and now and then as Mother England. Downright hermaphroditic, I'd say!

TP

[Astrid]

"Ahemmm! Not ALL countries, that's for sure. I'll give you there is "Old Mother England" but what about "Choymany, vitch iss often called Der Fahderland"????? France is Bi-sexual I do believe! but let's not go there. and let's not forget "Uncle Sam""

Vaterland is actually grammatically neuter, so das Vaterland, however the Germans can gender bend some things. As in many cultures a ship (neuter das Schiff) is frequently referred to as a 'she', however in 1940 Captain Ernst Lindemann, commander of the battleship Bismarck (das Schlachtschiff "Bismarck") issued an order to the crew requiring them to refer to the Bismarck as a he, since so large and powerful a warship could not be a she. Talk about gender reassignment!

[taxwizz]

Hey. ....I have known some powerful women with rather large hulls. And some were Germans.

[Astrid]

My own preference is 'she' for a ship or boat. It just seems natural after such a long traditional usage.

[davil]

Hi Astrid

"1940 Captain Ernst Lindemann, commander of the battleship Bismarck (das Schlachtschiff "Bismarck") issued an order to the crew requiring them to refer to the Bismarck as a he, since so large and powerful a warship could not be a she. Talk about gender reassignment!"

and we know how well that worked out!!!!!!
.

[Keithward]

This comes from a long even ancient tradition, along with the idea of it being bad luck to have a woman on board a ship. Although even then that was more superstition.
The idea of referring to her as the ship actually comes from a desire to not have confusion. If you said make sure Bob has his lines tight and there was one of the guys on the boat that was named Bob in the boat there might be some confusion as to what was to be done. In the Navy there really are a number of circumstances were split second reactions actually cost people lives or the lack there of. Thereby making a lack of confusion critical to the mission. The whole concept of "her" actually was quite adequate for the intent, however by actually putting the name on or naming the boat The entire concept was understood immediately and did not need to be explained.

[Keithward]

In mother Russia ships name you

[Cottontop]

Originally Posted by Lancerbye

That is an interesting thought, however the French refer to a boat as " le bateau" which would make a French boat masculine.

We should look elsewhere then French for edification.

In French, the gender of "penis" is male.

Of course, you say.

The gender of "vagina" is also male.

[LEOCAT66]

Since I have absolutely no time for the PC BS, I feel that tradition totally rules. I am Old School and will remain Old School.

[theway]

All this discussion made me more aware of this boat here in American Samoa, somewhat relevant to the topic with a hint of irony...
her/his name is Pampered Fox

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by theway

All this discussion made me more aware of this boat here in American Samoa, somewhat relevant to the topic with a hint of irony...
her/his name is Pampered Fox
Attachment 150870

She don't look too pampered to me!

[taxwizz]

Originally Posted by Cottontop

We should look elsewhere then French for edification.

In French, the gender of "penis" is male.

Of course, you say.

The gender of "vagina" is also male.

One is ours in fact.

The other is ours in fiction.