Hey, I happen to like neuter (not neutering!), so I'm feeling a little
germanly repressed myself! Give me a break, you could equally argue that
girls are neuter because they transcend the distinction between male and
female. I don't think a language represses certain groups, it just lowers
the efficiency of communication.
> Where does the "wo" in "woman" actually come from?
I always figured it was "womb" + "man", but no... it is from Old English
"wifmon", meaning "wife man." That sounds very accurate... in many places
(and especially in ancient times) the line between men/women can be blurry,
but the only consistent difference is that a man can marry a "wifmon," and
of course, he cannot marry a regular "mon." (although rulings in Hawaii,
etc. have changed this)
Geoff.