eugenez@azure.UUCP (Eugene Zinter) (12/14/83)
Subject: girl vs boy
Well, since no one else bothered, I decided to look up "girl" and "boy"
in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1979).
The definitions follow, matching definitions where possible:
**********************************************************************
GIRL BOY
==== ===
1a: a female child 1a: a male child from birth to puberty
2a: a young unmarried woman NO MATCH
1c: a single or NO MATCH
married woman of any age
2a: a female servant or employee 3a: a male servant,
sometimes to be taken offensive
2b: sweetheart 1d: sweetheart, beau
2c: daughter 1b: son
NO MATCH 1c: an immature male: youth
NO MATCH 2a: one native to a given place
(local boys)
NO MATCH 2b: fellow, person (the boys at
the office)--often used
interjectionally (boy, what a
game!)
**********************************************************************
Perhaps the most interesting thing was the sentence (for the
definition of GIRL):
[ME gurle, girle young person of either sex]
It is curious that the mention of immaturity was only mentioned
in the definition for BOY. And that the word man isn't used in
any way, yet in the definition for GIRL, the word WOMAN was used
twice!! And in not a demeaning manner as was "immature male".
ECZeugenez@azure.UUCP (Eugene Zinter) (12/14/83)
SUBJECT: girl vs boy
Well, since no one else bothered, I decided to look up "girl" and "boy"
in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1979).
The definitions follow, matching definitions where possible:
**********************************************************************
GIRL BOY
==== ===
1a: a female child 1a: a male child from birth to puberty
2a: a young unmarried WOMAN NO MATCH
1c: a single or NO MATCH
married WOMAN of any age
2a: a female servant or employee 3a: a male servant,
sometimes to be taken offensive
2b: sweetheart 1d: sweetheart, beau
2c: daughter 1b: son
NO MATCH 1c: an immature male: youth
NO MATCH 2a: one native to a given place
(local boys)
NO MATCH 2b: fellow, person (the boys at
the office)--often used
interjectionally (boy, what a
game!)
**********************************************************************
Perhaps the most interesting thing was the sentence (for the
definition of GIRL):
[ME gurle, girle young person of either sex]
It is curious that the mention of immaturity was only mentioned
in the definition for BOY. And that the word MAN isn't used in
any way, yet in the definition for GIRL, the word WOMAN was used
twice!! And in not a demeaning manner as was "immature male".
Oh yes, WOMAN is defined as "an adult female person".
And, MAN is defined as "a human being; especially: an adult male human.
ECZ