Date:  Wed, 10 Aug 1994 16:13:27 -0500

From:  mftcf[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UXA.ECN.BGU.EDU

Subject: Re: you



>

> 2) My mother-in-law (r-less Middle Georgia resident all of her life)

> systematically refers to my cats (which/whom she may still regard as

> kittens despite their middle age) with the wrong natural gender (but never

> her own cats--which/whom she does not regard as kittens--well, one is well

> over 20 pounds). I'm starting to use this crazy pronoun system myself, and

> I'm wondering if this trans-sexual usage is idiosyncratic (like my own

> constant confusion of right and left) or if it is just a part of Southern

> American that I need to know more about. My r-full wife does not confuse

> the genders of pets (or babies); she also consciously avoids sounding "old

> fashioned Southern."

>

>

> Wayne Glowka



My late mother in law lived herlife in jacksonville, fla. She was an

r-less speaker, and the male cat we sent her (and which she finally sent

back) was always "the kitten" (even at 20 + lbs) and "she."



Tim Frazer