Genders and Species

Just a Quick question for a Fanfic. I couldn't remember one source either way or another So I will ask it here. Is it acceptable to refer to an alien Male as a Man? I want to talk about a character "Becoming a Man" but he's a Duros.

 

That Sucks because "Becoming an Adult" Doesn't get the point "Becoming a Duro" is Korny and "Becoming a Man" Is inaccurate

 

Tyrant's Test covers Lumpawar(ump/oo)'s Wookiee rite of passage. You might want to look into it.

 

Why would "becoming an adult" be so bad? I think it would serve the purpose...

As a sidenote, it's funny that you could probably refer to an alien as a "person" as long as it wasn't terribly different in physiology/anatomy from humans.

 

Think of it this way. Duros have a language. You, however, are writing in English, or Basic as it is in the GFFA. I'm sure the Duros have a passage or words that express "Becoming a Man". You are merely translating from Duros to Basic.

 

well "person" is different than "man" - person definitely covers an adult male Duros, but it also covers an infant female Rodian or a whiny little Tatooine slave human child. 'person' is more status as a legal sentient, while 'man' has the meaning of both being male and having reached biological maturity.

i think for your story, you can get away with calling a Duros a man, at least for the title. while he's not strictly human, if the point you are trying to make is that he has reached some sort of maturity common to human adult males, then it should apply.

 

I think my comment about "person" was taken the wrong way. I wasn't saying that this should be a stand-in for "man," I merely wished to point out that there seems to be different standards in the EU.

I myself would say that you could say that a Duros had become a "man" based off of the prior reasoning that you could say it was the easiest translation from Duros to Basic.

I still don't think the phrase "become an adult" is bad either.

 

Given that sexism isn't really a major issue in the Star Wars universe (except for the Empire and the Hapans) the term 'adult' is generally used to indicate what you're talking about.

 

Ok, Thanks for the Imput. Also I wan't to have a Tagline for the Story Sohuld it be: "A Young Man's (meaning Duros) ubringing could be his downfall" Or should I go with "A Young Duros Ubringing could be his downfall" Im afraid that saying man could be misleading, while saying "Duros" could scare off a few of my non-Fan Friends who would read it.

 

Given that sexism isn't really a major issue in the Star Wars universe (except for the Empire and the Hapans) the term 'adult' is generally used to indicate what you're talking about.

Leaving aside concepts of gender within the SW universe, there is a fairly different meaning in the cultures of the real world when looking at:
how a boy becomes a man
how a girl becomes a woman
how a young person becomes an adult

if your story fits more along the line of a boy becoming a man, then it's perfectly fine to call it what it is to help readers identify what is going on.

 

Coming Of Age?

 

It's perfectly acceptable to say Duros man.

YOU are the writer, YOU decide what is legit in your universe.

 

In Courtship of Princess Leia, Luke refers to a adult female Drackmarian as a woman (despite the fact that drackmarians are warlike reptilian predators who breathe methane). So yeah, I can't see any problem with it.

 

If one already doesn't exist, why don't you invent a 'Duro' word that means the 'coming of age' / 'rite of passage' for a male?

And at the end of the FanFic, you could have a glossary defining your unique words... could make it more professional???