Date:  Tue, 30 Jan 1996 11:33:13 -0700

From:  Rudy Troike <RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU>

Subject: Re: why are ships referred to as she (fwd)



I'm sure Jespersen has discussed this somewhere at length. My late friend and

colleague David DeCamp back in the 1960's liked to point out that the use

of "she" by males typically referred to large, powerful pieces of equipment

(ships, autos, airplanes, bulldozers) but by contrast, small, annoying insects

were usually referred to as "he" ("Swat that fly!" "Got 'im!"). There is

definitely something Freudian going on here.



    --Rudy Troike (rtroike[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ccit.arizona.edu)