[extropy-chat] Language Again

[Jef Allbright]

Mike Dougherty wrote:

> On 12/28/06, Jef Allbright <jef at jefallbright.net> wrote: 
	
>> As discussed earlier on this list, he will
>> have even more practical problems when we
>> begin dealing with gender neutral entities
>> such as AIs, and I would much prefer moving
>> on to something like ve and ver, but look
>> how little success Americans have had switching
>> to something as obviously and globally effective
>> as the metric system.
		
> why have a choice of ve or ver?  aren't these
> species-independant yet still gender-suggestive pronouns? 

Incorrect. See the line containing "Ve, Ve laughed, I hit ver, Vis face
bled, I am vis, Ve shaves verself" in the table at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-neutral_pronoun>.  My source, IIRC,
is Vinge.
	
> Clearly the problem with American adoption of the
> metric system was that it is "obviously and globally
> effective."  Compare to the less obvious or effective
> adoption of "hot" to mean what used to be called
> "cool"  or the adoption of the word "bling."  

My favorite outstanding example is "sick" meaning some sense of "good".

- Jef