Pretty (WAS: request for COMMENTS)

Thanks, Julien, for your helpful reply!   Both your suggestion and your
simplified functional scheme will prove useful.

BTW, "The man made himself pretty" is perfectly grammatical, but the use of
the term "pretty" in this sentence implies that the man is aspiring to
feminine beauty.   Since there are some men who do so, your sentence is
semantically correct.  :-)

As you may already know, "pretty" implies femininity when said of people,
and some of their personal effects, like clothing.   Otherwise, it does not
imply femininity when said of things.    Most Americans are reporting a
purely esthetic response, devoid of any sexuality, when they call a sunset,
painting, or light show "pretty."

Is all this true of the equivalent French word?

Jim

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