From: dnomhcir@gmx.com   
      
   D  writes:   
      
   > On Wed, 7 Aug 2024, Richmond wrote:   
   >   
   >> D  writes:   
   >>   
   >>> On Tue, 6 Aug 2024, Richmond wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> oldernow  writes:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> On 2024-08-05, D  wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Just sayin'.... ;-)   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Show me your chromosomes and I'll show you your gender!   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Sure. *Me*. But an entire religion has recently formed around   
   >>>>> believers in chromosomal insignificance. How do you plan to show   
   >>>>> *them*?   
   >>>>   
   >>>> People were talking about gender long before chromosomes were   
   >>>> discovered, so I don't see why the definition of gender has to be   
   >>>> based on chromosomes. In fact there is no way it could be.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> But it is all just an argument about the meaning of words, as   
   >>>> usual.   
   >>>>   
   >>>   
   >>> Is there an inherent reason it could not be based on chromosomes?   
   >>   
   >> Yes, because the word 'gender' was being used before anyone knew   
   >> about chromosomes.   
   >   
   > But we revise the meaning of terms all the time. I see no inherent   
   > reason why gender could not be associated with having and not having a   
   > Y chromosome.   
   >   
   > Let me give you a trivial example:   
   >   
   > The word “silly” originates from the Old English term “sælig,” which   
   > meant “happy” or “blessed.” This term was derived from Proto-Germanic   
   > *saligaz, which also carried connotations of happiness and   
   > well-being. In its early usage, “silly” was associated with positive   
   > attributes, often describing someone who was innocent or pious.   
   >   
   > As the centuries progressed, particularly during the Middle Ages, the   
   > meaning of “silly” began to shift. By the 14th century, it started to   
   > take on a more negative connotation, referring to someone who was   
   > foolish or lacking in common sense. This transition can be attributed   
   > to societal changes where innocence and naivety were increasingly   
   > viewed as weaknesses rather than virtues.   
   >   
      
   You say we revise meanings, but what actually happens is meanings change   
   gradually. So over time a meaning can change, but that's not the same as   
   a subgroup of people getting together and deciding to define a   
   word. Even having defined a word its usage will remain the same, and its   
   usage is what truely defines it. There are many examples from law I   
   should think where the legal meaning of a word is different from its   
   general usage.   
      
   Also note that the same word can have more than one meaning.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)