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Definition: Person |
PersonNoun1. A human being; "there was too much for one person to do". 2. A person's body (usually including their clothing); "a weapon was hidden on his person". 3. A grammatical category of pronouns and verb forms; "stop talking about yourself in the third person". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "person" was first used: 12th century. (references) |
Etymology: Person \Per"son\, noun. [Old English persone, persoun, person, parson, Old French persone, French personne, Latin persona a mask (used by actors), a personage, part, a person, from personare to sound through; per + sonare to sound. See Per-, and compare to Parson.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Agriculture | An entity defined by USDA as being eligible to receive federal farm program benefits, subject to annual payment limitation constraints. A "person" may be an individual farmer, an individual member of a joint operation, a corporation, a joint stock company, an association, a limited partnership, a trust, an estate, or a charitable organization. A husband and wife are considered one person for payment limitation purposes. A joint operation is not a person; neither is a cooperative association of producers that markets commodities for producers. (references) |
Literature | Person (Latin, persona, a mask; personatus, one who wears a mask, an actor). A "person" is one who impersonates a character. Shakespeare says, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players" or persons. When we speak of the "person of the Deity" we mean the same thing, the character represented, as that of the Father, or that of the Son, or that of the Holy Ghost. There is no more notion of corporeality connected with the word than there is any assumption of the body of Hamlet when an actor impersonates that character. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Tips from 1870 | Usage: Party, Person. "Is she the party of whom you spoke?" "No; she is the person." One man may be a party to a contract or agreement. Several men may form a party. When no contract is implied, one man or woman must be spoken of as a person, not as a party. Source: Slips of Speech. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The personal pronouns "I" and "we" are said to be in the first person. It is traditionally defined to be the speaker.The personal pronoun "you" is said to be in the second person. It is traditionally defined as the person spoken to.
All other pronouns and all nouns are said to be in the third person. This person is traditionally defined to be what is spoken of or anything that is not first or second person.
In many languages, the verb takes a form dependent on this person and whether it is singular or plural. In English, this happens with the verb "to be".
When "first-person", "second-person", and "third-person" are used as adjectives, they should be hyphenated.
- I am (first-person sigular)
- You are (second-person)
- He, she or it is (third-person sigular)
- We are (first-person plural)
- They are (third-person plural)
See grammatical conjugation and grammar.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Grammatical person."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Humans Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: Sapiens Binomial name Homo sapiens Biologists classify humans as a species (Homo sapiens) of primates and the only surviving species of the genus Homo. The species is commonly referred to as "humankind" or "humanity" and its members as "humans", "human beings" or "people". The species name Homo sapiens is an uncountable noun and has no plural form. Man is a male human being and woman is a female human being. All current humans, from across all areas of the Earth, are of this species.
According to mainstream biology, the closest living evolutionary relatives to humans are the two species of chimpanzee Pan troglodytes ("common chimp") and Pan paniscus ("pygmy chimp" or "Bonobo"), and to a lesser degree other hominoids such as orangutans and gorillas. Biologists have compared a sequence of DNA base pairs between humans and chimpanzees, and estimated an overall genetic difference of 5% [1]. It has been estimated that the human lineage diverged from that of chimpanzees about 5 million years ago, and from gorillas about 8 million years ago. However, recent news reports of a hominid skull approximately 7 million years old already showing a divergence from the ape lineage strongly suggests an earlier divergence. Some scientists argue that bonobos, chimpanzees and, possibly, gorillas should be lumped into the genus Homo, but this is currently a minority opinion.
Various religious groups have raised objections and controversy concerning the theory of humanity's evolution from a common ancestor with the other hominoids. See creationism and argument from evolution for opposing points of view.
Physical characteristics
Image of a Caucasian man and woman, taken from
the Pioneer 11 spacecraft image.
(Public domain image)The body of humans is described in the human anatomy group of articles. Humans have a wide range of variability in physical and other characteristics.
The evolution of Homo sapiens is characterized by a number of important trends:
How these trends are related, in what ways they have been adaptive, and what their role is in the evolution of complex social organization and culture, are matters of ongoing debate among physical anthropologists.
- expansion of the brain cavity and brain itself, which is typically about 1,400 cm3 in volume, well over twice that of a chimpanzee or gorilla. Some physical anthropologists argue that a reorganization of the structure of the brain is more important than cranial expansion itself.
- canine tooth reduction.
- bipedal locomotion
- descent of the larynx (which makes possible the production of the complex sound known as vocal language).
Although body size is highly heritable, it is also significantly influenced by environmental and cultural factors such as diet. The mean height of an American adult female is 162 centimetres and the mean weight is 62 kg. Males are typically heavier - 175 cm and 78 kilogram. Humans vary substantially around these means, and the means themselves have varied depending on locality and historical factors.
Human children, typically weighing 3-4 kilograms and 50-60 centimetres in height, are born after a nine-month gestation period. Helpless at birth, they continue to grow for some years, typically reaching sexual maturity at around 12-15 years of age. Boys continue growing for some time after this, often only reaching their maximum height around the age of 18. The average human lifespan is approaching 80 years in wealthy nations, with the assistance of science and technology.
See also human physical appearance.
Homo sapiens compared to other species
Humans often consider themselves to be the "dominant" species on Earth, and the most advanced in intelligence and ability to manage their environment. This belief is especially strong in Western culture, and is based in part in the Biblical Creation story in which Adam is explicitly given dominion over the Earth and all of its creatures.
Biologists and scientists in general, though, do not consider "dominant" to be a useful term, because the adaptive value of any trait or complex of traits depends on the niche and is highly mutable. From a scientific standpoint, Homo sapiens certainly is among the most generalized species on Earth. Smaller and simpler animals such as bacteria and insects greatly surpass humans in population size and diversity of species, but few single species occupy as many diverse environments as humans. Many other species, for example, are adapted to specific environments, whereas humans rely on tools such as clothing and manufactured shelter, which are themselves often produced and used through complex social interactions.
The use of tools and the ability to alter their environment (building shelter, weaving fabrics for clothing, language, and the development of complex social relationships and structures, etc.) has been cited as a characteristic which distinguishes humans from other animals. This difference, however, is not absolute, as ethologists have recorded such behaviors in many species. Apes and even birds, for example, are known to "fish" for insects using blades of grass or twigs, and even to shape the tools for that purpose. No other animal uses tools to the same degree or with the same flexibility as Homo sapiens. Similarly, other animals often have simple methods of communication, but the degree to which humans create and use complex grammar and abstract concepts in language has not been seen in any other species, despite much effort to find it.
Chomskian linguistics holds that a distinguishing feature of humans is that we are the only extant species with a language instinct - a genetic predisposition that produces a brain mechanism whose function is to acquire a language by observing those around us.
Some anthropologists think that these readily observable characteristics (toolmaking and language) are based on a less easily observable mental process that might be unique among humans: the ability to think symbolically. That is, humans can think abstractly about concepts and ideas. They can question, use logic, understand mathematical concepts, and so on in ways that no other animals are known to do, although several species have demonstrated some ability in this area. Nor have other animals demonstrated any remotely comparable ability to plan their actions. This belief is why the species was named Homo sapiens, sometimes translated as "Man the Thinker". Note, however, that the extinct species of the Homo genus (eg, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo erectus) were also adept tool users and there is some evidence that they may have had linguistic skills. Moreover, there are many other animals alive today which use tools, so the idea that making and using tools is a defining characteristic of humans is often considered outdated.
While humans have all these characteristics, from the biological viewpoint "what distinguishes humans from all other animals?" is an odd question: there's no one thing that makes cats, dolphins, or song sparrows unique. Finding other species that shape tools or can use sign language may shed light on human evolution, but it doesn't erase the differences between humans and related species.
See also: Evolution of Homo sapiens, human condition, man, woman, child, humanoid, human variability
Human activity
- Dreaming
- Reading
- Writing
- Listening
- Knowledge
External link
- A Look at Modern Human Origins
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Human."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Ned Baker is a fictional name, not a fictional character. This name is used as a metasyntactic variable, or alias, used in place of a real name that will be supplied at a later time. It is commonly used in the development of computer programs that will handle the names of real people when those programs are complete.Other names commonly used for this purpose are names containing punctuation (such as Meg O'Brien), to test the ability of the program to handle such punctutation, and names containing database or programming terminology (such as Null Exit), to ensure that such terms used in this context do not affect the function of the program.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Ned Baker."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In common English usage, the word person is a synonym for human. However, in philosophy, there have been debates over the precise meaning and correct usage of the word, and what the criteria for personhood are.
Are all persons human?
Firstly, there is the simple view that the common usage is the correct one: that person does indeed mean human. However, this runs into the problem that the term person has a somewhat loaded meaning - we commonly believe that all and only persons have certain rights, for example, the right to life. Some would go so far as to say that all and only persons are sacred. However, we can imagine the hypothetical alien from another planet, who, despite not being human, nevertheless has every trait that we see as being essential for this protected status that elevates it above mere objects. Thus, many claim that the simple view implies a sort of arrogant speciesism.
Are all humans persons?
Another problem with the simple view is that there are disputes over whether certain humans are persons. For example, in the abortion controversy, although the foetus is clearly of the human species, it is a matter of debate whether it is a person. Or in the case of a victim of severe brain damage who has no mental activity, some may claim that he or she is no longer a person, merely an "empty shell".
Criteria for personhood
The above points seem to indicate that there may be persons that are not human, and there may be humans that are not persons. For these reasons, many philosophers have tried to give a more precise definition, focusing on some trait or traits that all persons, real and hypothetical, must possess.
The most obvious such trait that persons typically possess is a conscious mind, typically (but not necessarily) with plans, goals, desires, hopes, fears, and so on. Yet the claim that such a mind is necessary for personhood is also problematic, as most would consider human babies as persons, yet their minds do not seem sufficiently advanced to satisfy this condition. A few philosophers have simply accepted that babies are not persons. However, most have not. Instead, some have suggested that the potential for such a mind is the correct trait.
Yet another view is that personhood is not all-or-nothing: there can be degrees of personhood, based on how close to a fully working mind the object in question has. Thus, a typical adult is entirely a person, while a human permanently in a coma is not a person at all. This view also seems to have some unpleasant consequences, for example, that a young child or someone with a moderate mental handicap might be, say, only half a person (and perhaps therefore have only half the rights, or be regarded as half as important).
It is probably true to say that other views also exist, and that the debate is not close to being resolved.
Moral rights and responsibility
Closely related to the debate on the definition of personhood is the relationship between persons, moral rights, and moral responsibility. Many philosophers would agree that all and only persons are expected to be morally responsible, and that persons deserve maximal moral rights. There is less consensus on whether only persons deserve moral rights and whether persons deserve greater moral rights than non-persons. The rights of non-person animals is an example of contention on this issue (see animal rights).
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Person."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| PEA | English | Person engaged in agriculture | Food & Agriculture, Labor |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: PersonSynonyms: human (n), individual (n), mortal (n), somebody (n), someone (n), soul (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Mankind | Human being; person, personage; individual, creature, fellow creature, mortal, body, somebody; one; such a one, some one; soul, living soul; earthling; party, head, hand; dramatis personae; quidam. |
Substantiality | Noun: substantiality, hypostasis; person, being, thing, object, article, item; something, a being, an existence; creature, body, substance, flesh and blood, stuff, substratum; matter; corporeity, element, essential nature, groundwork, materiality, substantialness, vital part. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | And you're the hottest young person a role-model could have (Batman Returns; writing credit: Bob Kane; Daniel Waters) I know you're just a reporter, but you used to be a person, right (Deep Impact; writing credit: Bruce Joel Rubin; Michael Tolkin) He was never a person, he was a journalist (Almost Famous; writing credit: Cameron Crowe) You're a rational person. You're a trained psychiatrist (Twelve Monkeys; writing credit: David Webb Peoples) Somebody who taught me about the kind of person I want to be. Miss Frances Houseman (Dirty Dancing; writing credit: Eleanor Bergstein.) | |
Lyrics | Oh, loving eyes they cannot see a certain person could never be (Everybody Plays the Fool; performing artist: Aaron Neville) How could a person like me care for you (The Sign; performing artist: Ace Of Base) He'll see me as a person, not just a black man (I Believe; performing artist: Blessid Union Of Souls) In person, I want your body (Muscles; performing artist: Diana Ross) And it turns out he was a missing person who nobody missed at all (Goodbye Earl; performing artist: Dixie Chicks) | |
Clever | A person who has had a bull by the tail once has learned 60 or 70 times as much as one hasn't. (references; author: Mark Twain) Can a stupid person be a smart-ass? (references; author: unknown) Remember that failure is an event, not a person. (references; author: unknown) The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. (references; author: unknown) A word gets its meaning by the person who speaks it. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | A Very Missing Person (1972) So eine nette Person Ach (1970) Die Person (1970) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | In 1887, 27 year old Dr. Joseph Kinyoun set up his one person laboratory of hygiene to research cholera and other communicable diseases such as diphtheria, typhoid, small pox, typhus, plague and tuberculosis. This was the birth of NIH in a small attic room in the Marine Hospital in the village of Stapleton on Staten Island, New York. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |  | Shows photo of person receiving Cobalt 60 cancer therapy. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |
 | Tularemia is caused by the bacterium, Francisella tularensis. Symptoms vary depending on how the person was exposed to the disease, and as is shown here, can include skin ulcers. Credit: CDC. |  | The last known person in the world to have smallpox of any kind. Variola minor in 23-year-old Ali Maow Maalin, Merka, Somalia. Credit: CDC. |
 | A VERY busy Northwest Cape beach with one person. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | One person Drager recompression chamber. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |
 | Divers use a two person diver propulsion vehicle. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |  | Figure 44. Otho Frederick Mueller's Dredge. A. D. 1750. Mueller was the first person to dredge for purely scientific reasons. Library Call Number GC75 .T48 2nd ed. 1874. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
 | Figure 26. Current meter invented by Thorsten Arwidsson for use in shallow water. Less information is available concerning this model than the preceding instrument. However, it was used by the explorer Sven Hedin, member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the last person to receive Swedish knighthood. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |  | An FSIS science person runs test in the microbiology lab. . Credit: USDA. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Dancing Air Person at Universa" by David Sinofksy Commentary: "Dancing Air Person at Universal Studios." | "Rocks" by Martin Manegold Commentary: "Person posing on the top of alot of Rocks. La Grande Motte, near Montpellier, Southern France." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
 | A person punching in numbers and ringing up totals on an adding machine. | | Person smashing a car windshield. |
| Person chewing an apple loudly. | | Person smashing a car headlight. |
| Sound of person hanging up on the other end of the telephone connection. | | Reaction of distaste; dislike; a person making a terrible vocal sound. |
| Person whistling, high to low slide. | | Person biting into an apple. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Elbert Hubbard | A person born with an instinct for poverty. |
Emerson | No sensible person ever made an apology. |
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe | A person hears only what they understand. |
Lord Alfred Tennyson | The greater person is one of courtesy. |
Menander of Athens | No just person ever became quickly rich. |
Miguel De Cervantes | A person dishonored is worst than dead. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | So far as a person thinks; they are free. |
Seneca | Every guilty person is his own hangman. |
Terence | As a person is so must you humor them. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | No sheriff or bailiff of ours, or other person, shall take the horses or carts of any freeman for transport duty, against the will of the said freeman. (reference) |
John Locke | 1690 | But, notwithstanding such resistance, the king's person and authority are still both secured, and so no danger to governor or government. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Constitution | 1791 | No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. (reference) |
US Bill of Rights | 1795 | Amendment V. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. (reference) |
Amendment to US Constitution | 1795-1992 | The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. (reference) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | No person, says the constitution, "shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court." (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | This person must, indeed, be swept out of the way, and made impossible. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Every person will vote in the commune (Gemeinde) where he is domiciled or of which he is a native. (reference) |
United Nations | 1948 | Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. (reference) |
Miranda v. Arizona | 1966 | The prosecution may not use statements, whether exculpatory or inculpatory, stemming from questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way, unless it demonstrates the use of procedural safeguards effective to secure the Fifth Amendment's privilege against self-incrimination. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | But Mr. Elton, in person, had driven away all such cares |
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded | Carroll, Lewis | I said that no doubt that was the real test whether a person was frightened or not. |
Young Zaphod Plays It Safe | Douglas Adams | Any sophisticated knowledgable person, who had knocked about, seen a few things, would probably have remarked on how much the craft looked like a filing cabinet--a large and recently burgled filing cabinet lying on its back with its drawers in the air and flying |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Even the attractiveness of her person had undergone a similar change |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | He spoke with difficulty, and answered with embarrassment, but from head to foot his whole person denied the charge |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | A thing like that had been done before by somebody in history, by some great person whose head was in the books of history |
Time Enough for Love | Robert Heinlein | If a person had time enough, he could love all of that majority who are decent and just |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | When they came near, a grayish mass stirred near the door and arose to person height |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | One day in much good company I was asked by a person of quality, whether I had seen any of their Struldbrugs, or Immortals |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Kissing an infected person. (references) | |
Hugging an infected person. (references) | ||
Don’t shake the person or shout. (references) | ||
Business | Direct sales are a highly productive way of selling products if it is done in person. (references) | |
In smaller enterprises it is not unusual to find these three posts held by the same person. (references) | ||
The following graph serves as a point of reference of the population breakdown and amounts allocated per person. (references) | ||
Children | Cuba | It is illegal for a person under 17 years of age to engage in prostitution. (references) |
Guatemala | The law defines a person with disabilities as one whose physical, mental, or emotional deficiencies limit performance of normal activities. (references) | |
El Salvador | A 2000 law mandates that new or renovated public buildings be accessible to the persons with disabilities, and requires businesses to employ 1 person with a disability for every 25 employees, an increase from the preexisting requirement of 1 to 50. Although the Government had not enforced the previous law's employment quota, it brought together dozens of government agencies and NGO's to discuss ways to implement the new law effectively. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Gabon | In June the National Assembly and Senate passed a new Communications Code proposed by the National Communications Council (CNC), a government agency subordinate to the Communications Ministry, that could further restrict press freedom by expanding the scope of criminal libel laws in the name of protecting "dignity of the person." It stipulates that penalties for libel and other offenses include a 1 to 3-month publishing suspension for a first offense and a 3 to 6-month suspension for repeat offenses. (references) |
Samoa | No legal action was taken against the person who wrote the letter. (references) | |
Germany | The judge ruled that the question of a person's reliability hinges on the person and not their membership in the Church of Scientology. (references) | |
Discrimination | South Africa | The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, which entered into force on August 9, outlaws unfair discrimination against any person on the grounds of gender, race, and disability, and places a responsibility on the State and any person in the public domain to promote equality. (references) |
Hong Kong | Three pieces of antidiscrimination legislation--the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, and the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance--have made it illegal for any person or entity (public or private) to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of sex, marital status, pregnancy, disability, or family status, and prohibits behavior such as sexual harassment, harassment or vilification on the grounds of disability, and discriminatory advertising. (references) | |
Economic History | Colombia | The nine eastern lowlands departments, constituting about 54% of Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of less than one person per square kilometer (two persons per sq. mi.). Ethnic diversity in Colombia is a result of the intermingling of indigenous Indians, Spanish colonists, and Africans. (references) |
Human Rights | Morocco | The second person later claimed Najaiji died from beatings by the security forces. (references) |
Gambia | The bill read: "The President may, for the purpose of promoting reconciliation in an appropriate case, indemnify any person he may determine, for any act, matter or omission to act, or things done or purported to have done during any unlawful assembly, public disturbance, riotous situation or period of public emergency." In May the President signed the bill, despite a general outcry and petitions from human rights organizations. (references) | |
Vietnam | To put someone under administrative probation, the chairperson of a district people's committee first collects dossiers on the person recommended for probation, then submits the dossiers to the chairperson of the Provincial People's Committee for a final decision. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Australia | The Bureau of Statistics' report entitled Australia's Health 2000 concluded that the average life expectancy of an indigenous person continues to be 20 years less than that of a nonindigenous person. (references) |
Australia | Western Australia continued to retain its mandatory sentencing laws, which provide that a person (adult or juvenile) who commits the crime of home burglary three or more times is subject to a mandatory minimum prison sentence. (references) | |
India | These regulations prohibit any person, including citizens from other states, from going beyond an inner boundary without a valid permit. (references) | |
Minorities | Netherlands | These measures included the appointment of a contact person for discrimination cases in each of the 25 regional police forces; the establishment of a National Bureau for Discrimination Cases (which acts a clearing house and database for the entire police and is a part of the police structure); and the establishment of a national registration system of cases of racism and discrimination to provide a comprehensive picture of the situation. (references) |
Burma | Only one non-Buddhist served in the Government at the ministerial level, and the same person, a brigadier general, is the only non-Buddhist known to have held flag rank in the armed forces since the 1990's. The Government actively discourages Muslims from entering military service, and Christian or Muslim military officers who aspire to promotion beyond the middle ranks are encouraged by their superiors to convert to Buddhism. (references) | |
Palau | Foreign residents are subject to some forms of discrimination and are targets of petty, and sometimes violent, crimes, as well as other random acts against person and property. (references) | |
Political Economy | CHINA | Even in areas where the law is clear, government bureaucracies often "selectively apply" regulations; China has many rules on the books that are ignored in practice until a person or entity falls out of official favor. (references) |
JAMAICA | Any company or person required to make payments to the government by agreement or law, such as the levy and royalty due on bauxite, must make those payments directly to the Bank of Jamaica. (references) | |
Algeria | On June 27, the Government enacted amendments to the Penal Code that provided for prison sentences and fines for any person not approved by the Government convicted of preaching in a mosque. (references) | |
Political Rights | Bhutan | The procedures for the nomination and election of National Assembly members state that in order to be eligible for nomination as a candidate, a person must be a citizen of Bhutan; be at least 25 years of age; not be married to a foreign national; not have been terminated or compulsorily retired for misconduct from government service; not have committed any act of treason against the King, the populace, and country; have no criminal record or any criminal case pending against him; have respect for the nation's laws; and be able to read and write in Dzongkha (the language, in several dialects, spoken by Bhutanese Buddhists). (references) |
Bhutan | Finally the decree provided that the National Assembly, by a two-thirds vote of no confidence, can require the King to abdicate and to be replaced by the next person in the line of succession. (references) | |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | PAM leadership reported that one person had not been paid; the Government asserted that it needed information about her remuneration from her law firm before it could calculate her pension benefits. (references) | |
Trade | Spain | Checks (cheque): While bank checks offer security in transactions, (since the bank issuing the check needs the guarantee of the transfer to issue it), personal checks do not offer enough guarantees against commercial risk as the bank does not guarantee the funds in the account of the person issuing the check. (references) |
Singapore | A liable non-resident person is defined as having a business turnover of more than S$1.0 million with no physical operation in Singapore but one that conducts trading activities through a Singapore agent. (references) | |
New Zealand | The shipper in the United States may sign application for an advance ruling, by the importer in New Zealand or by any other interested person. (references) | |
Travel | Philippines | A business person hand-carrying a personal laptop computer, however, does not have to post a cash bond upon establishing that the item is part of personal effects and is not new. (references) |
Vietnam | Western businesspeople sometimes become frustrated with the apparent inability of the person across the table from them to make a decision (even if the counterpart is quite senior), or the fact that decisions once made are inexplicably reversed. (references) | |
Poland | Business cards are the norm in Poland and are generally given to each person present in a meeting. (references) | |
Women | Ukraine | Apart from the law that prohibits forced sex with a "materially dependent person," which applies to employees, legal safeguards against harassment are inadequate. (references) |
Chile | The legislation includes clauses to facilitate proof of the crime and to protect the privacy and safety of the person making the charge. (references) | |
El Salvador | The ISDEMU received 286 cases of sexual aggression compared to 364 in 2000. The law does not prohibit a person from working as a prostitute. (references) | |
Worker Rights | France | Prostitution is legal; however, the law prohibits pimping, including aiding, assisting, maintaining, or profiting from the prostitution of another, and the public solicitation of another person for the purpose of inciting sexual relations also is illegal. (references) |
Switzerland | Trafficking in persons may result in prison sentence of up to 5 years; coercing a person into prostitution or restricting a prostitute's personal freedom can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. (references) | |
Yugoslavia | Employment Under labor law dating from before 1989, the minimum age for employment was 16. The October labor law sets the minimum age at 18 for any work likely to jeopardize the health, safety or morals of a young person, but permits children to work at 15, provided such work is not harmful and is not prejudicial to school attendance; however, in villages and farming communities younger children work to assist their families. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FORMA :PAUPERIS:. [Latin] In the character of a poor person -- a method by which a litigant without money for lawyers is considerately permitted to lose his case. When Adam long ago in Cupid's awful court (For Cupid ruled ere Adam was invented) Sued for Eve's favor, says an ancient law report, He stood and pleaded unhabilimented. "You sue in forma pauperis, I see," Eve cried; "Actions can't here be that way prosecuted." So all poor Adam's motions coldly were denied: He went away -- as he had come -- nonsuited. G.J. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Al Hunt | Joe Lieberman, of course, is the first person of Jewish faith to be on a national ticket. You have a very large Arab-American population in your area. |
Brad Silberling | Yeah, yeah. And so when I met Amy, I said to her, OK, I'm the guy, of course, who is going to be worried. And I don't want to be that person. |
Dennis Miller | You're not the only person on this planet. |
Joan Rivers | In school. I watch my diet all the time. Truly, truly, I watch my diet, but I cheat. I live on Cool Whip. I am an all inside plastic person. |
King Constantine of Greece | May I say, Your Majesty, this has been a delight. I've looked forward to it. Wonderful talking with you. And I look forward to meeting you in person in Athens at the next Olympics. |
Laura Schlessinger | Da, da, da, da, da, da. It is amazing how people chop away at each other. That's the one I have to work on a lot all the time, yeah, because I'm a very intense person. |
Lisa Beamer | Morgan's Todd's middle name and Kay's my middle name. So we took the best of both of us and put them together in her name and in the person that she is. |
Rush Limbaugh | I dare anyone to find a single person in America who believes this. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | The emperor Claudius, by an edict, gave freedom to such of them as should recover, and first declared that if any person chose to kill rather than expose them, it should be deemed homicide. |
James Monroe | 1817-1825 | If the person thus elected has served the preceding term, an opportunity is afforded him to review its principal occurrences and to give such further explanation respecting them as in his judgment may be useful to his constituents. |
Richard Nixon | 1969-1974 | A person can be expected to act responsibly only if he has responsibility. |
Gerald Ford | 1974-1977 | Another major threat to every American's person and property is the criminal carrying a handgun. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | We reject the prospect of failure or mediocrity or an inferior quality of life for any person. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Renew our pledge to day by day, person by person, make our country and the world a better place to live. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Since every person in America counts, every American must be counted. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Person" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Person" is used about 24,956 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 24,956 | 337 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "person" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Person | Last name | 7,000 | 1,680 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "person". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Magdalene | N/A | Biblical | A person from Magdala |
| Naarah | N/A | Biblical | Young person |
| Zaanannim | N/A | Biblical | A person asleep |
| Magda | N/A | Czech | A person from Magdala |
| Magdalena | N/A | Czech | A person from Magdala |
| Magdalone | N/A | Danish | A person from Magdala |
| Malene | N/A | Danish | A person from Magdala |
| Magda | N/A | Dutch | A person from Magdala |
| Magdalena | N/A | Dutch | A person from Magdala |
| Magdalen | N/A | English | A person from Magdala |
| Matleena | N/A | Finnish | A person from Magdala |
| Madeleine | N/A | French | A person from Magdala |
| Madeline | N/A | French | A person from Magdala |
| Magda | N/A | German | A person from Magdala |
| Magdalena | N/A | German | A person from Magdala |
| Magdolna | N/A | Hungarian | A person from Magdala |
| Madailéin | N/A | Irish | A person from Magdala |
| Maddalena | N/A | Italian | A person from Magdala |
| Magda | N/A | Polish | A person from Magdala |
| Magdalena | N/A | Polish | A person from Magdala |
| Magdalena | N/A | Portuguese | A person from Magdala |
| Source: compiled by | |||
