国(country)はitで受ける=sheで受けるのは古風・詩的
昨日の高1の授業。『COMET 1』Lesson 9 Food Waste(食料廃棄)のワークシートをしていて、この文があった。Japan imports large amounts of food from other countries. However, it wastes a lot of edible food every day.Japanをitで受けていたのが気になったので、「国はsheで受けると思います。船や国はsheだと思います。皆さんは気にしないかも知れませんが、私は気になります。Japanはsheかthe counrtyが良いと思います」とコメントした。家で調べたら「sheで受けるのは古風・詩的」という判断になっていた。次回の授業で補足・訂正しようと思う。~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1)https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2007/01/is-a-country-a-she-or-an-it.htmlGrammarphobiaGrammar, etymology, usage, and more, brought to you by Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart KellermanIs a country a “she” or an “it”?January 24, 2007Q: I am a librarian and I put up a display entitled “Ireland and Its Books, Authors, and Countryside.” Was I correct to use the word “Its” or should I have used “Her”? What is the correct usage of pronouns in referring to countries? I know ships are often referred to as feminine, but what about countries?A: The personification of nonliving nouns (such as nations, cities, hurricanes, ships, and other vessels) as “she” has fallen out of common usage. It’s now generally considered quaint or poetic.Both the Associated Press and the New York Times style books, for example, recommend using “it” or “its” to refer to ships and countries.Nearly five years ago, Lloyd’s List, the 273-year-old London-based shipping newspaper, officially dropped the gender personification and now refers to ships with the pronouns “its” and “it” instead of “her” and “she.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2)https://www.quora.com/Which-pronoun-should-be-used-in-English-for-countries-it-she-or-hePaul KennedyThere are 3 possibilities.When REFERRING to a country you are using the third person.The usual pronoun is 'it' (and 'its' in the possessive): "I love France; it is my favorite country. Its national anthem is great."If the country is being personified or mythologized it is possible to use 'she' (and 'her' and 'hers'): "France is a loyal ally; she has always stood by her friends."If the country is being referred to in a way that conceives of its citizens as a group, rather than the country as a whole, then you can use 'they' (and 'them' and 'their'): "I'm studying the history of France. They have been involved in wars with many of their neighbors."Note that the singular 'it' is usual even when the country's name is (or appears to be) plural. We still say "I love the Netherlands for its museums.", "The Bahamas: it's a beautiful country!", "The United States expects its citizens to like it.", "The Philippines takes pride in its history."Note also that you would use 'you' (and 'your' and 'yours') when ADDRESSING a country, rather than referring to it: "Thank you, France, for your warm welcome." And 'we' (and 'us', 'our' and 'ours') when SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF a country: "Australia will stand by you. We will give you all the assistance we can."