Re: Ships as

Posted by Praveen on January 28, 2003

In Reply to: Re: Ships as posted by Raphael Mankin on January 28, 2003

: A less serious take on this point ...

: > I'm a young researcher interested in the topic of gender and language. I know that in English the pronoun "she" could be referred to ships and cars.

:
: Q: Why is a ship called she?
: A: A ship is called a "she" because:

: There is always a great deal of bustle around her.
: There is usually a gang of men about.
: She has waist and stays.
: It takes a lot of paint to keep her looking good.
: It is not the initial expense that breaks you, it is the upkeep
: She can be all decked out.
: It takes an experienced man to handle her correctly. :-)
: Without a man at the helm, she is uncontrollable. :-D
: She shows her topsides, hides her bottom.
: When coming into port, always heads for the buoys. :-)

Men RIDE ships/cars and hence... feminine gender for ships/cars