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submitted 6 months ago by lemmyreader@lemmy.ml to c/memes@lemmy.ml

One of the comments reads : Actually, we will probably never figure out, was it man or woman. but I thought this comment of the professor was an interesting eye opener. https://mastodonapp.uk/@MarkHoltom/112070436760917344

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[-] mwalimu@baraza.africa 10 points 6 months ago

Swahili. If you want to translate “she/he went to the river”, you say “Alienda mtoni” which collapses she/he into the subject A- (Alienda) to mean “the person”. You always need context to use a gendered word (like mwanamke for woman) otherwise general conversation does not foreground it. There is literally no word for he/she in Swahili, as far as I know.

[-] robotica@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

I love you how specified "as far as I know" even though it's literally your native language lmao

[-] multifariace@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Thank you for explaining. I will look into this more.

this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2024
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