BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Free Rants

**Posted by sherlockskitty** September 19, 2012 3:48 am

I played flute in my marching band, and marching and holding up that flute was hard!!!! And oh that uniform was HEAVY!! and that hat was...dare I say it? Nah. you get the picture.

**Posted by Davina** September 19, 2012 7:32 am

I was almost in a marching band (not that common here) as our school music teacher tried to form one but it never properly left the ground. If I had been in it I would have been playing an E Flat horn! B.....y thing weighed a ton; I had to carry it back home nearly 3 miles every night to practise it too!).

**Posted by SusiGo** September 19, 2012 2:44 pm

I'm just coming from the vet. F***, our poor tomcat's got asthma. He's been having the attacks only for some days since my daughter moved out of her old room. There was of course a lot of dust so I think that might have triggered the attacks. Poor dear, he's had a bad childhood and the fire brigade brought him to the animal shelter and now this.

**Posted by sherlockskitty** September 19, 2012 5:50 pm

ooohhh poor kitty!! give him a hug from me and I hope he gets better.

**Posted by Davina** September 19, 2012 6:42 pm

Oh dear! Is he going to have to take special meds for it? Poor kitty cat.

**Posted by SusiGo** September 19, 2012 8:24 pm

He has to take cortisone for some days and then we'll have to see the vet once again. Hope he'll get better soon. I'll give him the hug as soon as he comes in from the garden.

**Posted by 221B Baker Street** September 20, 2012 5:11 am

Oh, poor tomcat! Hope he'll recover soon!
I have a cat too, and I take everything that happens to him to heart. He is like a member of my family and I don't really want to call him "it", though I was told that animals are called with "it" in the English language.

**Posted by Davina** September 20, 2012 7:28 am

No they aren't if they are pets. Unless someone is cross with them for some reason or doesn't like them or is being rude. Normally we would say 'he' or 'she' depending on their gender. Even if they aren't pets e.g. In wildlife programmes on TV the presenters will use 'he' or 'she'.

Last edited by Davina (September 20, 2012 7:29 am)

**Posted by 221B Baker Street** September 20, 2012 11:17 pm

Davina, thank you for explanation . And what about 'baby''? Once I heard that a little baby is also 'it'' *shocked*

**Posted by veecee** September 21, 2012 2:52 am

Mainly when the speaker doesn't know if it's a boy or a girl. For example: I heard a baby crying somewhere in the building last night, but it finally went to sleep.

Last edited by veecee (September 21, 2012 2:53 am)

**Posted by tobeornot221b** September 21, 2012 3:48 am

In German, "baby" and "animal" in general are "it". Oh - and "girl"! "It", of course....

**Posted by SusiGo** September 21, 2012 6:38 am

Sometimes German is a really stupid language. But French isn't much better. Just imagine you've got a group of 99 women and one man and nevertheless you always use the male verb forms.

**Posted by Sammy** September 21, 2012 5:19 pm

Oh, but isn't it also really annoying if you use the male version of a noun (in German) because it's shorter and then someone always corrects you?
I don't have any problem with that and I am a female.
You know, "-er" and "-erinnen".
English is much more convenient in this aspect.

Regarding that, I once read a joke about feminists who performed a play in front of some children and started with "Liebe Kinder und Kinderinnen"
(sorry, kinda off-topic ;D)

**Posted by Mattlocked** September 21, 2012 5:25 pm

I agree. It's well meant, but all this "Liebe Leser/-innen" is annoying sometimes.

**Posted by tobeornot221b** September 21, 2012 5:30 pm

Even worse: There are no Studentinnen/Studenten (students) anymore - they all all "Studierende". What will happen to the good old "Studentenkneipen" (student bar) or the "Studentenfutter" (nuts and dried fruit)?

**Posted by Mattlocked** September 21, 2012 5:34 pm

Studierendenfutter. lol

Maybe we can take Studentinnenfutter for the females. (Salad?)
And your evenings you have to spend diverted in Studenten- and Studentinnen-Kneipen (pubs only for male or female students).
Sounds interesting. *yawn*
And then of course a pub for smoking male students and one for non-smoking male students. Same with female, of course... lololol

**Posted by veecee** September 21, 2012 7:54 pm

I imagine some of the issues in German are similar to those in English, where many want to do away with "ess" for women, as in actress versus actor or waitress vs. waiter, and just use "er" for everyone. (Personally, I like "ess.") For some reason, "waiter" has not caught on for women, so lot of people say "server," which I really don't like.

As for pronouns, it is very common to try to get around the male/female problem by using a plural even when it should be singular. Example: Everyone says they are coming to the party ("they" meaning "everyone"). Sherlock did it, I believe, in talking about the killer in Pink before he knew who it was -- even though at one point he says a man is more statistically likely.

**Posted by Davina** September 22, 2012 10:28 am

I don't like server either. It sounds like a spoon to me, or possibly a fork! Anyway, most don't actually serve the food do they. They bring the food ready presented on plates or side dishes from which we serve ourselves.

**Posted by Mattlocked** September 22, 2012 1:50 pm

Our laptop is broken; for some reason the desktop light doesn't work anymore.
Now I'm using it with an extra monitor placed on the coffee table. The monitor needs a connection to the laptop. It needs energy. The laptop needs energy right now, too, because the battery is low.
So imagine me sitting here not very comfortable in the midst of cable spaghetti......

**Posted by veecee** September 22, 2012 7:55 pm

The things we endure to stay in touch with the Sherlock world!