5 ms·
Two other languages I speak refer to noun "child" in neutral gender, so maybe English is the outlier here.
by I-M-S 5y ago
Two other languages I speak refer to noun "child" in neutral gender, so maybe English is the outlier here.
- ip26 5y agoA fair point. “It” is neuter, not neutral, but I can understand “lost in translation”
- watwut 5y agoYeah, I am not a native speaker. It felt "natural" to say it. It was not meant as some kind of statement on the nature of children. It does not force me to pick gender, but even that was not conscious decision.
- ip26 5y ago“It”, being neuter, is usually reserved for inanimate objects and sometimes wild animals. Calling a living human, dog, or cat “it” is basically a slur.