[split] Names, pronouns, articles... and gender

[Farseer]

Wow Finnish has only gender neutral pronouns?????? I had no idea that any language had that!

I had heard something vague before but never really thought about it, I must admit...puts a different perspective on the other 'gender' debate though, when entire languages deem the need to differentiate the genders as unimportant on a literary level!!

As for the name Mervi, I instantly thought 'male' the very first time I saw it, as a shortened form of Mervyn, like Merv (eg Merv Hughes the cricketer). I've never known a female to have a version of the name, or anything remotely like it, but I guess I don't 'know' too many people outside Australia! Still, it's interesting to hear that you thought of it as being more female than male, Nuytsia (seeing as you are also in Australia).

Just did a name search and discovered that Mervi is a rather popular Finnish name for a girl!

That all being said, I though the 'thul beings were predominately female but it appears that they are male?!