Hi friends.
Ich hab mal wieder ein grammatisches Problem mit einem Satz aus einem Roman.
Es geht um den Roman "The Glass Lake" von Maeve Binchy. Und zwar sagt da eine Mrs. Kelly zur Freundin ihrer Tochter:
"Nobody listens to their own mother, so maybe you might listen to me instaed."
In der Deutschen Übersetzung lese ich:
"Da ja niemand auf seine eigene Mutter hört...vielleicht nimmst du einen Rat von mir an."
Was ich jetzt nicht auf die Reihe krieg ist der erste Teil des englischen Originals.
"Nobody listens to their own mother..."
Da steht das Verb in der dritten Person singular und das Pronomen im Plural.
Beides bezieht sich doch wohl auf "nobody".
Wie kann dann "their" für "nobody" stehen ?
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Manfred
Singular oder Plural ?
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Pennsylvanian
Re: Singular oder Plural ?
Hi Franzi,
The use of "their" in this case is a relatively recent change in the English language. In previous years, one would have said "his" (masculine by default). Using "his" here is still considered acceptable; however, in everyday speech "their" is the most common. I would expect this to become standard in the near future if it is not already.
The example from the novel that you are reading is particularly relevant because the two characters are female. This is convenient, because the problem is that words like "everyone", "everybody", "someone", and "somebody" all refer to unspecific persons which could potentially be either masculine or feminine.
If I said the following:
"You can tell a lot about someone by their shoes."
it is essentially the same as saying
"You can tell a lot about someone by his shoes."
But the first sentence does not automatically assume that you can only tell a lot about men by their shoes (i.e. women are excluded from the statement).
In addition, you may hear something like the following from time to time (most likely only in formal speeches):
"You can tell a lot about someone by his or her shoes."
The use of "their" in this case is a relatively recent change in the English language. In previous years, one would have said "his" (masculine by default). Using "his" here is still considered acceptable; however, in everyday speech "their" is the most common. I would expect this to become standard in the near future if it is not already.
The example from the novel that you are reading is particularly relevant because the two characters are female. This is convenient, because the problem is that words like "everyone", "everybody", "someone", and "somebody" all refer to unspecific persons which could potentially be either masculine or feminine.
If I said the following:
"You can tell a lot about someone by their shoes."
it is essentially the same as saying
"You can tell a lot about someone by his shoes."
But the first sentence does not automatically assume that you can only tell a lot about men by their shoes (i.e. women are excluded from the statement).
In addition, you may hear something like the following from time to time (most likely only in formal speeches):
"You can tell a lot about someone by his or her shoes."
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franzi
Re: Singular oder Plural ?
Hi Pennsylvanian.
Thank you for your explanation.
I already thought it has something to do with the femal gender and "it" wasn't possible.
kind regards
Manfred
Thank you for your explanation.
I already thought it has something to do with the femal gender and "it" wasn't possible.
kind regards
Manfred
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tiorthan
Re: Singular oder Plural ?
That's actually a misconception. I don't know about Middle English but it has been in use ever since Modern English emerged in the 15th century. It has been used more freely at certain times though, for example in the works of Shakespeare.Pennsylvanian hat geschrieben: The use of "their" in this case is a relatively recent change in the English language.