Sister versus Brother
Sister versus Brother
(OP)
I was reading a post the other day, and it caught my attention that reference was made concerning the statement "our sister company". After thinking about this, I have heard this expression used during my career. I have never heard someone mention "our brother company".
Not sure why, but it may have to do with twin sisters as being more popular or common in usage versus twin brothers. Any comments?
Not sure why, but it may have to do with twin sisters as being more popular or common in usage versus twin brothers. Any comments?





RE: Sister versus Brother
Byron T.
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
When talking about companies we "parent" companies (gender unspecified) but what is the offspring called?
JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.
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RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
Since 1979, they have alternated between male and female names. Even numbered years start with a male name (Andrew, 1992), and odd numbered years begin with a female name (Allison, 2001).
Right now, the last thing that Floridians need is Ivan knocking on their doors.
RE: Sister versus Brother
Thanks CC.
RE: Sister versus Brother
"She purrs like a kitten."
"She's running smooth."
Ray Reynolds
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
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RE: Sister versus Brother
Sailors have historically referred to the ocean as a "harsh mistress." Likewise, their ships are also female.
TTFN
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
Ray Reynolds
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
Ray Reynolds
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Sister versus Brother
Bonnets & Bunnies
If Easter does have its roots in Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon Goddess, then I submit for complete and total shredding, that the Easter Bunny is female.
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
StephenA
RE: Sister versus Brother
Except for the occasional "man o' war".
Similarly, here in the Pittsburgh region there's a media company that owns a number of radio stations. When spoken of on the air, *one* of them is specifically referred to as "our brother station". It's the one devoted to news and sports talk. It's not hard to figure out what impression they're trying to create.
RE: Sister versus Brother
Nimitz, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Reagan, Kennedy, etc.
Would the Captain say, " The USS Chester Nimitz, She's a fine ship"? Sounds weird.
RE: Sister versus Brother
I think even the man-o-war vessel is still referred to as "she" though I wouldn't swear to it. Ships are female because the men who sailed them in days of old were very nearly literally married to them, married to the lifestyle which took them away from home for years at a time. Any kind of marriage with a woman was not likely to withstand that kind of isolation.
In many cultures, the sun is referred to as masculine and the moon as feminine.
RE: Sister versus Brother
Besides, we all knowe the Easter Bunny only lays cream-filled chocolate Cadbury eggs.
Ray Reynolds
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Sister versus Brother
Also, I noticed when someone is talking about another human (in general) he usually says he/his/him/etc. But an object is she/her/etc.
RE: Sister versus Brother
http://www.bartleby.com/42/802.html
TTFN
RE: Sister versus Brother
Rudyard Kipling
(Never mind that my less than exhaustive research turned up many more references to "men o'war" as "she" than it did "he"--this is, in fact, the only one I had the patience to find. I'll settle for a tie on the question, and let Holmes and Kipling fight it out from here. )
RE: Sister versus Brother
There were no "liners" when the man of war was extant.
TTFN
RE: Sister versus Brother
As you know - I am not fully versed in English and English literature. So I am probably missing a fine (or coarse) point. But I cannot understand what it is?
RE: Sister versus Brother
So, if there was marriage, it was essentially a figment of Kipling's imagination.
TTFN
RE: Sister versus Brother
Being the poet, and taking poetic license, Kipling refers to warships as "she" as well {The Ballad of the Clampherdown} (http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Rudyard_Ki...):
TTFN
RE: Sister versus Brother
That's fodder for starving engineers.
I am, as said earlier, not much at home in English literature. But I can see where Lewis Carroll got the inspiration for Jabberwocky.
For me, a Liner is a ship that does something regularly on a more or less fixed route. Like the wheat liners between Australia and Europe. And Man o'war has always been the opposite of a comercial or passenger ship. Regardless of century. A misconception of mine?
RE: Sister versus Brother
Anyway, my favourite sea poem was Cargoes By John Mansfield (Masefield?):
Gender is not mentioned here at all. So I guess a red flag is appropriate.
However, applying my fine analytical engineers mind to the question of the Easter Bunny I conclude that the Easter Bunny is Australian.... where else would you find a rabbit thay lays eggs?
JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
RE: Sister versus Brother
I think perhaps the century references by IRstuff above are meant to be a century later than stated. Does IRstuff mean late 1700s and early 1800s (as opposed to late 17th Century and early 18th Century, which would be the late 1600s and early 1700s)? The Titanic was built in the early 20th Century, and Old Ironsides was built in the early 19th Century. This is an easy confusion for a lot of people.
The point made is clear, however, that although these two types of vessels did overlap in use, one was diminishing as the other flourished. Probably because of the earlier work of the military man o' war in taming the high seas, the domestic passenger liner was later able to grow, without fear of pirates or attacks by belligerent nations.
RE: Sister versus Brother
It isn't something that happened a couple of centuries ago and is now long over. A visit to some of the marine news web sites will show that this is a very real and continuing problem. Perhaps because they don't seem to target passenger ships and Joe Public isn't often involved it isn't newsworthy? Nowadays we are more concerned with terrorist threats to shipping than pirates and this is what makes passenger liners and cruise ships a possible target. Piracy seems still to exist along shipping lanes frequented not by passenger ships or cruise ships but by tankers and freighters with small crews.
JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
RE: Sister versus Brother
RE: Sister versus Brother
TTFN