Comments on: A mother again http://noncompositional.com/2008/10/a-mother-again/ Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:04:39 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Klinton http://noncompositional.com/2008/10/a-mother-again/comment-page-1/#comment-31082 Klinton Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:59:29 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/?p=299#comment-31082 <p>very cute =)</p> very cute =)

]]> By: Russell http://noncompositional.com/2008/10/a-mother-again/comment-page-1/#comment-30837 Russell Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:47:46 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/?p=299#comment-30837 <p>A first-time homebuyer is someone who is buying a house for the first time. A first-time mother is someone who "is a mother" for the first time (more naturally, it's someone who has become a mother for the first time, but anyway).</p> <p>A second-time homebuyer is someone who is buying a house for the second time. But you wouldn't normally say that a second-time mother is "becoming a mother for the second time," because they're already a mother. So in this context of "nth-time mother," "mother" refers not simply to the state of (being a woman and) having a child, but of (being a woman and) coming to have a child (by birth, or adoption, or whatever).</p> <p>[Note: yes, "second-time X" is way less common and natural. But it's out there nonetheless]</p> A first-time homebuyer is someone who is buying a house for the first time. A first-time mother is someone who “is a mother” for the first time (more naturally, it’s someone who has become a mother for the first time, but anyway).

A second-time homebuyer is someone who is buying a house for the second time. But you wouldn’t normally say that a second-time mother is “becoming a mother for the second time,” because they’re already a mother. So in this context of “nth-time mother,” “mother” refers not simply to the state of (being a woman and) having a child, but of (being a woman and) coming to have a child (by birth, or adoption, or whatever).

[Note: yes, "second-time X" is way less common and natural. But it's out there nonetheless]

]]> By: EG http://noncompositional.com/2008/10/a-mother-again/comment-page-1/#comment-30812 EG Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:14:09 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/?p=299#comment-30812 <p>I don't see. Could you elaborate?</p> I don’t see. Could you elaborate?

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