Gender
From KneeQuickie
In linguistics, gender is a classification of a word within its part of speech. Usually, this term is applied to systems that divide nouns into masculine and feminine, but many also apply it to noun classification systems in general, particularly those containing only a few classes. Gender most often turns up in the form of agreement between nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, but it frequently plays a rôle in word derivation, with a change of gender for human nouns representing the sex of the referent.
In Natlangs
Romance languages typically possess two genders, masculine and feminine (Latin had a third one, neuter, but that merged with the masculine in its descendants). In the majority of such languages, gender manifests in agreement between nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and determiners. For example, Italian nouns have one of two genders, masculine and feminine, that trigger agreement most adjectives by changing their endings to match the noun. Similarly, articles and demonstratives have different forms to show gender.
- La ragazza bella - the beautiful girl
- Il tavolo bello - the beautiful table
- Questo canale - this channel
The Romance languages generally indicate the gender of a word through phonological features at the end of a word as well as the meaning of the word itself. Other languages such as German may provide few hints and even the semantics of a given word may contradict the grammatical gender.
Criticism
The concept of gender has provoked argument, particularly on the ZBB, but also in feminist circles worldwide. These arguments stem from the thought that grammatical gender represents a form of sexism. Such arguments cited often use words that are inappropriately typed, such as German mädchen (girl), which is a noun in the neuter gender. Many conlangers, who stand more on the conversative or apolitical sides of the forum, reject such arguments on the basis that grammar does not influence behavior. Others explicitly eschew gender in their work to express their opposition to sexism in language.
See also:
