[Dragaera] Fw: Gift Shop

[Mark A. Mandel]

(I hate the default "reply to sender only".)

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Mark A. Mandel <thnidu at yahoo.com>
To: Elizabeth Dalton <dalton_0907 at gaeacoop.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 8, 2008 10:05:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Dragaera] Gift Shop


Since each piece is made on order and there is no inventory cost or up-front expense, why not have two versions, one with masculine pronouns and one with feminine?

-- Mark A. Mandel, proprietor, Cracks and Shards
   http://www.cracksandshards.com
   a Steven Brust fan website
aka Dr. Whom, Consulting Linguist, Grammarian, Orthoëpist, and Philological Busybody
(and too tired now to put this into Paarfiish)


----- Original Message ----
From: Elizabeth Dalton <dalton_0907 at gaeacoop.org>
To: dragaera at lists.dragaera.info
Sent:
 Tuesday, January 8, 2008 9:20:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Dragaera] Gift Shop


"One who wears this shirt, while by no means claiming to be that most
eminent of historians, nevertheless might do oneself the honor to 
suggest that one very nearly thinks in the mode favored by the eloquent
 
(and some few mean-spirited critics might suggest voluble) scholar and 
author, Paarfi of Roundwood."

?

e

Davdi Silverrock wrote:
> On Jan 8, 2008 4:28 PM, Elizabeth Dalton  wrote:
> 
>> "The wearer of this shirt, while by no means claiming to be that
 most
>> eminent of historians, nevertheless does themselves the honor to
 suggest
>> that they very nearly think in the mode favored by the eloquent (and
>> some might suggest voluble) scholar and author, Paarfi of
 Roundwood."
> 
> I very nearly entirely think that if it were to happen that one
 should
> *ask* Paarfi of Roundwood about the manner or style in which he
> chooses to express the history of Dragaera, he would gladly and
 humbly
> acknowledge that he did indeed aspire to eloquence, but he would also
> insist with great emotion and vehemence that he was in no wise
> voluble, but was in point of fact instead, brief.
> 
>> Sorry about the "themselves" and "they," but I excuse them on the
>> grounds that Dragaeran apparently has a genderless pronoun, and this
 is
>> the closest equivalent that colloquial English offers. At least, in
 my
>> opinion.
> 
> Yes, but Brust-translating-Paarfi uses "himself", "him".  Paarfi
 isn't
> too happy about this; see the afterword of FHYA.
> 
> Given that those of the definite female gender might desire such a
> shirt, I suppose accommodation and compromise might well be in order,
> of course.
> 
> It could also be reworded to read something with "one does oneself
 the
> honor", &c, I imagine.







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