Re: logic vocabulary

Thomas R. Wier wrote:
> > > > Class 1: Active neutral words / masculine things and persons
> > > > Class 2: Stative neutral words / feminine things and persons
> > >
> > > This is *arbitrary*. There is no logical reason that I know of why
> > > "active neutral words" (whatever they are) should be put into
> > > the same class as "masculine things and persons", and "stative neutral
> > >  words" put into the same class as "feminine things and persons".
> >
> > Exactly. Incidentally, in Madagascar, it is the women who are
> > considered to be more 'active' in the sense of being obligatory
> > on them to carry the public face of a family and be more 'aggressive'
> > in various kinds of rhetorical styles. Men are supposed to stay at
> > home -- quite the opposite attitude of, say, many Islamic societies.
>
> First, this is not what I meant I never wanted to insinuate something.
I'm confused.  I was (1) agreeing with the proposition that there is no
logical reason to equate "activity" with "masculinity" and "stativity" with
"femininity", and (2) giving an example of how in fact the notions of
protoagentivity could find itself in the reverse situation.  The whole idea
of linking the two notions is IMHO kinda crazy, but if one does so, then
there's no reason not to do the reverse.

> Second, I've decided of an other way to oppose things to avoid that.
> Read what I wrote...
Actually, I did read what you wrote, and was trying to express my agreement
with it.

> I'm not sexist! So much that I never thought that someone could think
> that oppose Stative and Dynamic the same way that Feminine and Masculine
> could have been taken like a personnal attack.
Um... I wasn't suggesting that you are sexist.

 =========================================================================
Thomas Wier	       "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
University of Chicago   half the time." -- octogenarian Sheikh Zayed of
1010 E. 59th Street     Abu Dhabi, to a French reporter.
Chicago, IL 60637