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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Gender in the world's languages: _Ein Fichtenbaum steht einsam_
Message-ID: <D1476C.8Bn@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <787603010.AA02984@clone.his.com> <3csoj4$md2@darkwing.uoregon.edu> <D0z400.vK@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 15:03:45 GMT
Lines: 31


Heine's poem _A pine tree stands lonely_ has been translated several
times into Russian, and every time the translator had to deal with a
problem caused by the mismatch between German and Russian gender.

The Palm, of whom the Pine dreams, has to be female in both languages,
because the corresponding words are feminine.  The Pine himself was an
easy antecedent for _er_ `he' in German.  In Russian, however, _sosna_
is as feminine as _pal'ma_.

Lermontov preserved Heine's choice of trees, but changed the nature of
the relationship between them.  His Pine is not in love with anyone,
she's thinking of a good friend of hers of the same sex.

Tjutchev thought that the sense was more important than the species,
so he converted the Pine into a close relative of its, a Cedar (_kedr_).
He stretched the biology somewhat, because the cedar is a southern plant,
so it was incorrect to leave him in the utter North, where Heine's Pine
had stood.

Fet chose a similar strategy, only he went for an Oak (_dub_), another
obviously southern tree (though not as southern as the palm), and he
left out the claim that his place of lamentation was very far north.

(D'apre`s Lev Uspenskij, _Slovo o slovax_)

-- 
`Release Jesus wi this mob hangin aroon?  Nae chance!'  (The Glasgow Gospel)
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, iad@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
