Re: CHAT: Essentialist Explanation

From: Christophe Grandsire [mailto:christophe.grandsire@FREE.FR]

> En réponse à John Cowan <jcowan@...>:
>
> > Christophe Grandsire scripsit:
> >
> > > Dear Mr. Gunn,
> >
> > I think this error was a harmless one, but "Marion" is always (?)
> > a feminine name in English.  Anyhow, I've seen pictures of her
> > at www.egt.ie.
> >
>
> Well, that's something I didn't know. In French Marion is
> epicene (though more often used for women than for men),
> but I was under the  (false obviously) impression that it
> was the other way round in English.
Well, I've seen Marian and Marion used by women in english,
but never by men. Wait, I tell a lie, I remember some cartoon in
a Sunday newspaper that had a (male) character called Marion.
It's one of those odd names that could refer to either sex I
guess, just like Mary.

Just my EUR0.02.

> > Thanks for the support.
>
> Well, this behaviour attacks me personally, and I don't like
> people attacking me with prejudice. So it was just fair that
> I react :)) .
Personally, I can't believe that guy jumped to her defence
after Aidan's email without first finding out whether or not
she had any grounds for making her accusations against our
collective hobby or not. And her `spam' comment? Hmmm...

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