Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gradine" data-source="post: 7443356" data-attributes="member: 57112">I think the biggest reason we aren't the same wavelength is that I'm trying to talk about the implications of interpersonal interactions, and why some people seem to care more about resisting change in something that is ever-changing than in treating their fellow humans with respects. Again, as much as etymology is fascinating to me, it's not really the main point of what I'm trying to get at here.I'm not entirely sure what article you're reading, because nowhere in the article I linked to does the author discuss the formation of the English language (he, at one point very early in the article, refers to "modern English"). Secondly, subjectivity is not, by itself, any sort of red flag when it comes to academia. I happen be of the opinion, not as widely shared as I would hope I'm sure, that there is no such thing as true objectivity in humanities or social sciences. I actually prefer such works where the author's bias is clear, even when I disagree with it; I place significantly less trust in authors who pretend towards "objectivity". It should also be noted that this is a blog and not a published article (something I probably should have noted before citing it, but then this is also a web forum and not a forensics regional), which probably explains why the tone is less staid and academic, and more, well... readable.I'm also going to ask for citations for what you have to say about Old English, because every source I've been able to find in my admittedly short jaunt through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Old_English_personal_pronouns_(table)" target="_blank">internet research land</a> has proven completely contradictory to what you're saying. Everything I've found suggests that Old English specifically had Neuter single personal pronouns (though, granted, lined up with the masculine pronouns for "him" and "his", but not for what we would consider today as "he"), and no gender distinction in plural pronouns (which, in fact, sometimes mirrored feminine pronouns but never the masculine). Once again, I understand that etymology is subjective and contested, so I'd be happy to read from other sources that contradict these.e: The original post came off as more hostile than I had intended.</blockquote>

Verification