Re: Feminization of plurals?

Hi!

René Uittenbogaard writes:
>
> the originally correct form:
> het meisje dat ik zag
> the.NEUTER girl that.NEUTER I saw
>
> is being replaced by:
> het meisje die ik zag
> the.NEUTER girl that.COMMON I saw
>...
The same happens in German, but more restricted:

   - not for inanimates, only for animates, maybe even only
     for humans,

   - only if there is a considerable distance between the noun and
     the relative pronoun, so typically not in sentences like
     the above.

In pronouns, the switch is even more widespread:

   Das Mädchen .... .  Sie war ....
   (Instead of ,Es war ....')

Also in possessive pronouns:

   Das Mädchen ...  Ihre Jacke war gelb.
   (Instead of ,Seine Jacke war gelb.')

**Henrik