jss (04/28/83)
Yes, Wombat, you are probably right when you say "Do you suppose that the reason man can mean male person or all persons is because back in the days of Old English women weren't really considered persons, and the man=all persons definition was accurate?" Let me illustrate with a true story from a culture where that is *still* the case. We were traveling in India a few years ago, and visited the home of a friend who had been a grad student here. Two of our friend's brothers lived at home, with their wives and children, in their parents' house. I knew that there was at least one other brother living elsewhere, who had at least one child (the child had been born the day we arrived in the city). I saw 3 grandchildren living in the house, and knew there was at least the new one in addition, but I didn't know if there were any other married children, or if the father of the newborn had other children. I asked the grandfather how many grandchildren he had, and he answered, "Two." "But there are three grandchildren right here in the room!" I said, "And one more was born 2 days ago!" "Oh," he said. "But only two of them are boys." judith schrier !decvax!brunix!jss