nyota
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2009
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- Polish
- Home Country
- Poland
- Current Location
- Australia
Hi,
following fivejondon's advice I'd like to continue a thought that sparked elswhere, *here*, and ask about hierarchical language.
Have you noticed how in the past you'd address letters with Mrs. John Smith or Mr. And Mrs. John Smith? (As was pointed out, royalty still keep it up, and so Ms Middleton will soon become Her Royal Highness Pricess William of Wales).
Just to give another example, in Polish suffixes added to the man's surname pointed to the family structure. So, the wife of Budrewicz would become Budrewiczowa (-owa) and the daughter - Budrewiczówna (-ówna). You wouldn't hear it very often anymore.
Sticking with names, in Iceland they have yet another system, in which somebody's surname points directly to the father's first name. This way the surname of the daughter of Guðmundur Gunnarsson will be, quite literally, Guðmundsdóttir.
Do you know any other vestiges of male dominance in modern English or across languages?
P.S. The phrase "the vestiges of male dominance" was so neat and spot-on I just had to copy it as it was. Thanks fivejondon.
following fivejondon's advice I'd like to continue a thought that sparked elswhere, *here*, and ask about hierarchical language.
Have you noticed how in the past you'd address letters with Mrs. John Smith or Mr. And Mrs. John Smith? (As was pointed out, royalty still keep it up, and so Ms Middleton will soon become Her Royal Highness Pricess William of Wales).
Just to give another example, in Polish suffixes added to the man's surname pointed to the family structure. So, the wife of Budrewicz would become Budrewiczowa (-owa) and the daughter - Budrewiczówna (-ówna). You wouldn't hear it very often anymore.
Sticking with names, in Iceland they have yet another system, in which somebody's surname points directly to the father's first name. This way the surname of the daughter of Guðmundur Gunnarsson will be, quite literally, Guðmundsdóttir.
Do you know any other vestiges of male dominance in modern English or across languages?
P.S. The phrase "the vestiges of male dominance" was so neat and spot-on I just had to copy it as it was. Thanks fivejondon.