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#Post#: 16800--------------------------------------------------
Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Nikola Date: June 13, 2019, 4:30 am
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First of all, I'd like to stress that this is a question about
language and not about people's lifestyle choices or sexual
orientation.
These three words can be used as either a noun or an adjective.
Some people say that the only correct way of using them when
talking about a person being X is by using a noun. "She's a
vegetarian." However, I also heard people say that they don't
like referring to themselves as "a vegan". They much prefer
"vegan" because they wouldn't want to say "I'm a gay" either.
I'd like to know what people here think. How do the following
sentences sound to you? Is one of them right and the other one
wrong? Does one of them sound more natural?
She's vegetarian. vs She's a vegetarian.
She's vegan. vs She's a vegan.
She's gay. vs She's a gay.
#Post#: 16801--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: NealC Date: June 13, 2019, 4:52 am
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How much of it is due to the fact that at least in how English
is spoken in the US, that A sound before the V is often just
swallowed, to the extent that in normal speech you couldn't
really tell if the letter was pronounced or not?
#Post#: 16803--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Nikola Date: June 13, 2019, 5:50 am
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That's a fair point. So would you always use "a" in writing? In
all of them?
#Post#: 16804--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Alharacas Date: June 13, 2019, 6:03 am
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Interesting question, Nikola!
Just my two cents: "She's a gay" really stands out to me as
awkward, if not downright wrong. That's something I'd never say.
As to vegetarians and vegans, I think it used to be correct to
use the words as nouns when talking about people ("s/he's a
vegetarian/vegan"), but I've heard/seen them used without the
indefinite article so often by now - perhaps it doesn't matter
anymore?
Technically speaking - but don't take my word for it, my German
may be interfering here! - I think you could take "she's
vegetarian/vegan" to mean that she doesn't contain meat/animal
products, couldn't you?
At any rate, that's the way it works in German: Probieren Sie
doch die Frühlingsrolle, sie ist vegetarisch. (Do try the spring
roll, it's vegetarian.) vs. Ich esse kein Fleisch, ich bin
Vegetarier/in. (I don't eat meat, I'm a vegetarian.)
Which - sorry! - automatically leads me to the intricacies of
German orthography and pronunciation: Er ist Vegetarier (He's a
vegetarian) vs. Er isst Vegetarier (He eats vegetarians) ;D
Edit: There's a - pretty short - discussion about this on
wordreference.com:
HTML https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/vegetarian-or-a-vegetarian.814216/
tl;dr
Some native speakers seem to think both are fine, while others
are in favour of using "a vegetarian/vegan" for people.
#Post#: 16806--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Irena Date: June 13, 2019, 6:30 am
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"She's a gay" sounds really weird to me. For vegetarian/vegan,
either sounds acceptable to me, but the adjective version
("she's vegetarian/vegan") sounds more natural.
#Post#: 16807--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Nikola Date: June 13, 2019, 6:32 am
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[quote author=Alharacas link=topic=1153.msg16804#msg16804
date=1560423819]
Just my two cents: "She's a gay" really stands out to me as
awkward, if not downright wrong. That's something I'd never say.
[/quote]
I agree. It sounds a bit foreign, actually. Like "I'm a Spanish"
:)
[quote author=Alharacas link=topic=1153.msg16804#msg16804
date=1560423819]
Technically speaking - but don't take my word for it, my German
may be interfering here! - I think you could take "she's
vegetarian/vegan" to mean that she doesn't contain meat/animal
products, couldn't you?
[/quote]
I think that is (or was) the idea but people use "I'm vegan" so
much, and especially after reading about the girl who
deliberately chooses to say "vegan" over "a vegan", I'm starting
to wonder if it's about avoiding labels (you're a... something)
more than anything else. I might be wrong.
#Post#: 16808--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Irena Date: June 13, 2019, 6:37 am
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[quote author=NealC link=topic=1153.msg16801#msg16801
date=1560419545]
How much of it is due to the fact that at least in how English
is spoken in the US, that A sound before the V is often just
swallowed, to the extent that in normal speech you couldn't
really tell if the letter was pronounced or not?
[/quote]
Hmm... But you would say "she's a vampire," though, wouldn't
you? It would sound really weird without the article, I think.
#Post#: 16809--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Nikola Date: June 13, 2019, 6:42 am
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[quote author=Irena link=topic=1153.msg16808#msg16808
date=1560425828]
Hmm... But you would say "she's a vampire," though, wouldn't
you? It would sound really weird without the article, I think.
[/quote]
If only Neal got a dollar each time he said that...
#Post#: 16810--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Truman Overby Date: June 13, 2019, 7:34 am
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[quote author=Nikola link=topic=1153.msg16807#msg16807
date=1560425521]
I'm starting to wonder if it's about avoiding labels (you're
a... something) more than anything else. I might be wrong.
[/quote]
It's always seemed to me that those who say "I'm vegan" are
taking the label/identity aspect to the next level, not avoiding
it. Vegan literally becomes how they see themselves and relate
to the world. It's subtle outwardly but has a deep meaning to
them. It's who they ARE. Not what they DO.
#Post#: 16811--------------------------------------------------
Re: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gay
By: Alharacas Date: June 13, 2019, 7:40 am
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[quote author=Nikola link=topic=1153.msg16807#msg16807
date=1560425521]
[quote author=Alharacas link=topic=1153.msg16804#msg16804
date=1560423819]
Just my two cents: "She's a gay" really stands out to me as
awkward, if not downright wrong. That's something I'd never say.
[/quote]
I agree. It sounds a bit foreign, actually. Like "I'm a Spanish"
:)
[quote author=Alharacas link=topic=1153.msg16804#msg16804
date=1560423819]
Technically speaking - but don't take my word for it, my German
may be interfering here! - I think you could take "she's
vegetarian/vegan" to mean that she doesn't contain meat/animal
products, couldn't you?
[/quote]
I think that is (or was) the idea but people use "I'm vegan" so
much, and especially after reading about the girl who
deliberately chooses to say "vegan" over "a vegan", I'm starting
to wonder if it's about avoiding labels (you're a... something)
more than anything else. I might be wrong.
[/quote]
I was going to add a 2nd edit to my first post, but now it seems
to me the object of this endless discussion (about "He's gay"
vs. "He's a gay")
HTML https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/he-is-gay-he-is-a-gay.2566761/
may have had some impact on the question of whether "vegetarian"
is preferable to "a vegetarian" - at least for some people.
tl;dr
"he's gay" is both correct and idiomatic. "he's a gay", on the
other hand, while not being ungrammatical, is a) unidiomatic and
b) derogative.
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