In English, is there any difference between the following two?
- A man never enjoys his authority being questioned.
- Men never enjoy their authority being questioned.
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A man = an/one example of a man; any random male individual. Usually used in reference to a particular case. -- There is no relevant context but "a man", with "man" emphasised, could mean "a stereotypical / archetypal male" as opposed to a coward, an effeminate man, a lesser male, etc. -- Men = all men. This is clearly a generalisation.– GreybeardCommented Jun 27, 2023 at 22:36
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Do you intend to distinguish between men and women?– TimRCommented Jun 27, 2023 at 22:54
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'The following two' is misleading. Adding different emphases (here masked) gives different readings, as Greybeard points out. In general, I'd agree that the choice of the indefinite generic particularises more; it's also more formal. Taken together, this makes the statement more forceful, less easy to dismiss with casual assent. Also, there's more of a pull towards the gender categorisation.– Edwin AshworthCommented Jun 28, 2023 at 11:03
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There's a rhetorical difference in that "men" probably sounds more forceful than "a man", but questions about rhetoric are generally off-topic and belong in writing SE or literature SE. Do you mean to ask if there is a difference in meaning, which is how everyone seems to be trying to answer it?– Stuart FCommented Jun 28, 2023 at 19:36
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@Stuart removed the word rhetorical.– blackenedCommented Jun 29, 2023 at 17:16
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1 Answer
A man never enjoys his authority being questioned.
Men never enjoy their authority being questioned.
The usage of "A man" is meant to convey that "One never enjoys..." Whereas the use of "Men never enjoy" is a generalization as Greybeard correctly points out. There is a layer greater than a generalization of men, one of these guys, that A man points to. It brings the point being made, or claimed, to philosophical or mythical proportions.
It is not dissimilar to a favorite distinction I enjoy. When describing Xandu, the Hearst mansion, it was said it was how God would live if He had money. Those that are said to Have the money, might afford the mansion, a particular thing. Those that had money could afford it and anything else. It is a categorical distinction.
