I wrote yesterday that the Native American languages don't have impersonal pronouns. It seemed plausible.
But a reader- a speaker of one of those languages- told me I was wrong.
And I was. I went back to the source of the information and this time listened more carefully.
I'd over-dramatized. The indigenous languages do have impersonal pronouns- but their use is restricted. A human artefact- a dead thing- can be referred to as "it", but all living things- people, animals, plants, rocks- are vessels of divine energy- and should be addressed, referred to- and respected- as persons.
But a reader- a speaker of one of those languages- told me I was wrong.
And I was. I went back to the source of the information and this time listened more carefully.
I'd over-dramatized. The indigenous languages do have impersonal pronouns- but their use is restricted. A human artefact- a dead thing- can be referred to as "it", but all living things- people, animals, plants, rocks- are vessels of divine energy- and should be addressed, referred to- and respected- as persons.