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We're having a debate about how to properly refer to our software product when it is installed on someone's computer and they're having trouble with it. Assuming our app is called WhizBang, there is a contingent here who would say, "Open your WhizBang and choose 'Options'". I argue it should be, "Open WhizBang and choose 'Options'".

For some reason I don't have a problem saying "I drove my Ford Explorer" but I wouldn't say "I read my Pride and Prejudice". The difference, I believe, is that my Ford Explorer is a physical object. I own one of many Ford Explorers that have been built. Pride and Prejudice, however, is an abstract thing. My copy of Pride and Prejudice is an instance of, or manifestation of, the abstract object. Software is similar: WhizBang is an abstract object; you may have an instance of it installed on your computer. You don't own WhizBang; you own a copy of it. So "your WhizBang" is incorrect (it implies that you are the owner of the abstract thing, not an instance of the thing).

Is there a right answer to this or is it just personal preference?

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    You could have found a good rule of thumb here. It doesn't seem to work all the time (?"I had a look in my mirror yesterday, and ...". But I can't think of any 'intellectual property' in the sense you mention that we'd use 'my' with. Perhaps to disambiguate ("Jill, this is your 'Pride and Prejudice'. The print's not as clear.") And perhaps the reason possessive pronouns are used far less commonly is that ownership-marking is required far less frequently with novels, DVDs, software copies.... Commented Nov 1, 2019 at 13:03

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There are some goods that are purchasable and customizable, that provide the feeling that the good you own is "one-of-a-kind." With respect to cars, there is a level of true customization, and also a level of endearment, that leads to it being referred to as a personal possession.

In the case of literature, whether it's of the written, spoken, recorded, or engineered kind, the concept of an urtext exists; that is, an authentic, immutable property of original literature that marks it as authoritative. Works of literature are titled for this reason -- to always identify a work as what it is. Normally we would purchase only a copy of these urtexts. In other cases, we may purchase versions of these, which may or may not be authoritative, but they still aren't exactly customizable. However, you don't own the literature, you own a copy of it.

For the common person to possess something truly authentic, unique, and authoritative, all in one item, is not so common. It's far more common for that original authentic source to be one that copies are created from, that people own. Because literature tends to be regarded as a collective, social experience in this way, we normally express that we don't own Pride and Prejudice but we may own a copy of it. However, even though the car may have already been built with options when you choose it at the lot, it's the fact that the one that is chosen and the one that's right next to it that looks the same from the outside may actually be very different inside, so it has been personalized or chosen to be yours, unlike others.

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  • If you add notes in the margins, it becomes your Pride and Prejudice.
    – Barmar
    Commented Nov 1, 2019 at 22:38
  • @Barmar And in doing so, it's no longer the standard copy, you've customized it with your notes in the margins.
    – psosuna
    Commented Nov 1, 2019 at 22:57
  • @Barmar only in an informal sense, and then it could be argued that it is no more mine after I annotate it than it was before. That is, when I purchase a copy of Pride and Prejudice, it is mine. Informally, that's "my Pride and Prejudice". Formally, it's my copy of Pride and Prejudice. After I annotate it, it's still my copy of Pride and Prejudice.
    – Craig
    Commented Nov 2, 2019 at 14:08
  • @Craig Much depends on context. You wouldn't say "I'm reading my [copy of] Pride and Prejudice", but you'd say "I threw out my [copy of] Pride and Prejudice".
    – Barmar
    Commented Nov 3, 2019 at 18:56
  • @Barmar I think your examples are consistent with the way I look at it. When I'm reading (my copy of) Pride and Prejudice, I'm reading and internalizing the story in the abstract. I'm reading from my copy, but the story I'm reading exists outside the physical book and isn't "mine". Similarly, if I discard my copy of the book, I'm not discarding the story in the abstract; I'm discarding a book. In particular, I'm discarding my copy of the book. And just to be clear, what I would actually say is "I threw out my copy of Pride and Prejudice", not "my Pride and Prejudice".
    – Craig
    Commented Nov 4, 2019 at 19:30

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