Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: psyhotik on December 23, 2008, 03:06:48 am
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Hi! I have a question to English-speaking people: In English language ship should be refereed as 'she' or 'it'? For example, which form is proper - 'find Ravana and destroy her' or 'find Ravana and destroy it'? I saw both forms used in game. Are both proper?
I'm posting it here, because I encountered this problem during writing briefings :) Please move this thread if it's not the proper subforum.
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I'd say "it" is a safe option for every situation. Some old, proud (, Terran) captains might refer to their ships as "her". But "him" would sound weird.
Not a native speaker, but I'd dare to say most people here would agree.
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To clarify, a ship should properly be referred to as an "it," since it is an inanimate object; unlike many other languages, English doesn't attach specific genders to general words. However, it's a long-standing naval tradition to refer to one's own ship as a "she" or "girl," usually as a term of endearment or affection. In the context of FreeSpace, you'd probably find a grizzled old captain referring to his beloved, battle-tested destroyer in such a manner, or perhaps a veteran fighter pilot whose craft has seen him through many a dogfight.
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OK. That explains everything. Thanks for help :)
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Also you might want to refer to a ship as a "she" only if the name actually permits it... you wouldn't call the GTD Tayson a she.. no matter how much you love the ship :P