Gender of Computers. (Random comedy.)

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Gender of Computers. (Random comedy.)
Posted by Lothos, on January 30, 2002 at 17:26:56:

Subject: COMPUTING GENDER

COMPUTING GENDER
A language instructor was explaining to her class that in both French and
Spanish, the nouns, unlike their English counterpart, are grammatically
designated as either masculine or feminine.
"House," is feminine, in French - "la maison" ; and Spanish "la casa."
"Pencil," is masculine, in French - "le crayon" ; and Spanish, "el Lapiz."
One puzzled student asked, "What gender is 'computer?
The teacher did not know, and the word wasn't in her (older) French
dictionary. So for fun she split the class into 2 groups, appropriately
enough, by gender, and asked them to decide whether "computer" should be a
masculine or feminine noun. Both groups were required to give 4 reasons for
their recommendation.
The men's group decided that computers should definitely be of the feminine
gender ("la computer," "la computadora"), because :
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. The language they use to communicate with other computers is
incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for
possible later retrieval.
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending
half your wages on accessories.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine
("le computer," "el computador"), because:
1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
2. They keep lots of data, but they are still clueless.
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they
ARE the problem.
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited a
little longer, you would have gotten a better model.

Thread:

Gender of Computers. (Random comedy.) - Lothos 17:26:56 01/30/02 (5)
- *nods head sagely* yes.. that is quite entertaining.. (nt) - Fael-Inis 03:44:38 01/31/02 (0)
- And so, so true. - El cazador 00:20:07 01/31/02 (0)
- Heh. Speaking of turning on, I laughed hard at the Cogeco slogan (which has been around for months): Keeping you turned on. First thing I said after regaining respiratory function was: "Is that at an additional cost?" (nt) - ßetaMantis 22:52:01 01/30/02 (0)
- I remember seeing that a long time ago... years ago. (nt) - MissCheetah 18:06:11 01/30/02 (0)
- lol. Genius! [nt] - Kainoss 17:50:58 01/30/02 (0)

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Comments: NT If selected, will tack a "nt" onto your post.	: Subject: COMPUTING GENDER : COMPUTING GENDER : A language instructor was explaining to her class that in both French and : Spanish, the nouns, unlike their English counterpart, are grammatically : designated as either masculine or feminine. : "House," is feminine, in French - "la maison" ; and Spanish "la casa." : "Pencil," is masculine, in French - "le crayon" ; and Spanish, "el Lapiz." : One puzzled student asked, "What gender is 'computer? : The teacher did not know, and the word wasn't in her (older) French : dictionary. So for fun she split the class into 2 groups, appropriately : enough, by gender, and asked them to decide whether "computer" should be a : masculine or feminine noun. Both groups were required to give 4 reasons for : their recommendation. : The men's group decided that computers should definitely be of the feminine : gender ("la computer," "la computadora"), because : : 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic. : 2. The language they use to communicate with other computers is : incomprehensible to everyone else. : 3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for : possible later retrieval. : 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending : half your wages on accessories. : The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine : ("le computer," "el computador"), because: : 1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on. : 2. They keep lots of data, but they are still clueless. : 3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they : ARE the problem. : 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited a : little longer, you would have gotten a better model.
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