Re: CHAT: Unconventional pronoun systemsshow us yours!

On Sat, 4 Sep 2004 11:35:06 +0200, Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>
wrote:

>On Fri, 3 Sep 2004 22:48:32 +0200, Steven Williams <feurieaux@...> wrote:
>>  --- Carsten Becker <naranoieati@...>
>> schrieb:
>>
>> > And yes, I'm also using "der", "die" and "das" with
>> > names
>> > occassionally.
>>
>> Ehh... Just _how_ does one use /das/ with a personal
>> name? Do I even want to know :-o?
>
>My first guess would be that _das_ is used on names that carry a
>diminutive ending (which makes things neuter in German) - so "die
>Liese" but "das Liesl"; "der Hans" but "das Hänschen" (/hEnsC@n/, not
>/hEnSn=/!).
In alemannic dialects, the traditional way of referring to girls and young
women was the neuter, even without a diminutive. Under the influence of
standard German, this habit is disappearing.

gry@s:
j. 'mach' wust