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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Le 2012-12-21 06:00,
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:ietf-languages-request@alvestrand.no">ietf-languages-request@alvestrand.no</a> a écrit :<br>
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<blockquote
cite="mid:mailman.1.1356087603.7308.ietf-languages@alvestrand.no"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">
From: "Martin J. D?rst" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:duerst@it.aoyama.ac.jp"><duerst@it.aoyama.ac.jp></a>
There is an interesting phenomenon in Swiss German that (small) girls
are often neutral rather than female. This comes from the fact that the
word girl in German (M?dchen) is neutral because it's a diminutive
(which are all neutral in German).
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<br>
Getting a bit off topic... <br>
<br>
As far as I remember, there is something similar in ancient Greek
for small children: τό τέκνον, -ου (to teknon, -ou) : a child of
either sex, as in German das Kind. The way it was explained to me:
children are considered asexual, too small to be really associated
to either sex.<br>
<br>
According to Suetonius, Caesar would have said to Brutus : "Kαὶ σὺ
τέκνον;" (You too, child-neutral.)<br>
<br>
Now, in ancient Greek diminutive can have all three genders (
παιδ-ίον small child of any sex, παιδ-ίσκος small boy, παιδ-ίσκη
young girl), whereas in German -chen/-lein calls for neuter. The
same is true in Dutch, diminutives are neuter: het kind (the
child), het katje (the small cat, neuter), het mannetje (the small
man, neuter), Anneke (small Anne/Annie, neuter).<br>
<br>
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