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Help[Opinions] Effeminate? Really?
in reply to a message by queenv
I get the 'too British' thing, it's got that vibe for me as an Australian too. But I can't get it sounding soft / feminine etc. It's got a big bumpy nose and an adam's apple in my mind.
Just curious, what about it sounds feminine?
Just curious, what about it sounds feminine?
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A lot of Americans would have the idea that a Nigel is "effeminate" because of the way the name has been used for British characters in American films. Nigel and Reginald both have the image of being "prissy upper class English dolts" to many people in the USA. I know that this is NOT the image of those names in England or Australia, but it's part of their image in North America.
Also note that "effeminate" is not quite the same thing as "feminine". It refers to behavior, not appearance. A man with a big bumpy nose and Adam's apple can ACT "effeminate", and that's what's associated with the name in the USA.
Also note that "effeminate" is not quite the same thing as "feminine". It refers to behavior, not appearance. A man with a big bumpy nose and Adam's apple can ACT "effeminate", and that's what's associated with the name in the USA.
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*sigh*
Yes thankyou, I DO know the difference between effeminate and feminine. I was trying to clarify, and I got the clarification I wanted. Try assuming that other people might have reasons for their phrasing rather than assuming that everyone in the universe is more ignorant than you?
We do get the TV shows that portray Nigels as prissy, but to me that is not the same as effeminate.
Yes thankyou, I DO know the difference between effeminate and feminine. I was trying to clarify, and I got the clarification I wanted. Try assuming that other people might have reasons for their phrasing rather than assuming that everyone in the universe is more ignorant than you?
We do get the TV shows that portray Nigels as prissy, but to me that is not the same as effeminate.
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Now that you mention it, I guess there is nothing inherently effeminate about it. I can't give a concrete reason based upon the way it sounds. It's just a personal connotation for me. Whenever I hear Nigel, I picture an effeminate man. I don't even know why...I've never met a man named Nigel, effeminate or otherwise.
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