I was watching a documentary about a historical warship and the narrator mentioned 'She was a majestic warship that sailed the Indian Ocean...' What is the significance of the use of this pronoun 'she'?
2006-10-27 04:10:38 · 1 answers · asked by citrusy 6 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
No-one knows. The chairman of the British Historical Maritime Society says:
"There has been a great deal of debate on this subject on the Internet, particularly through Compuserve's forums. I personally don't think there will ever be a definitive answer. Although sailors being a bawdy lot, it is quite likely it has a lot to do with the movement of the ship beneath them!"
The editor of the newspaper for Lloyd's List, which insures large ships and such and which recently suggested calling ships by "it" rather than "she", says: "My own opinion on the subject is that because seafarers were away at sea for such a long time, they developed a close relationship with their ships.
"They came to regard them with a great deal of affection and the practice of calling them 'she' came about."
2006-10-27 04:16:17 · answer #1 · answered by rockndrll 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋