[Lingtyp] genifiers (gender markers/classifiers)

[Guillaume Segerer]

Hello all,
This is a very inspiring conversation indeed ! May I jump in ?

Martin wrote :
>
> A *gender system* (= a system of gender markers) is a system of 
> genifiers which includes no more than 20 genifiers and which is not 
> restricted to numeral modifiers.
>

First, it is obvious (as Martin himself admits) that this arbitrary 
limit of 20 is problematic. In Keeraak (Joola, Atlantic, Niger-Congo) my 
own description hesitates between 18 and 21 noun classes, depending on 
details that need not be mentioned here. Does it mean that this 
languages might (in a typological perspective) be called a gender 
language or not ? The Atlantic languages have noun classes systems whose 
size vary between 3 (Nalu) to 31 (Baïnounk Gubëeher). Following my own 
quick survey of 44 languages, 30 have 19 classes or less and 14 have 20 
classes or more. But all of these systems show many structural affinities.

Second, I'd like to contribute a proposal : why not keep the term 
'classifier', and add a one-letter prefix according to the following 
principle (which can of course be discussed) :
A-classifiers would be for the Amerindian type
B-classifiers would be for the Bantu type (that includes many other 
Niger-Congo branches of course)
C-classifiers would be for the Chinese type
etc...

One could even make up a F-classifier type (French-like classifiers) to 
include systems with morphological markers that add a semantic value and 
take concord in one of the available paradigms (in French for example, 
suffixes like /-ette/ : diminutive, feminine concord ; /-eur/ : agent 
nouns, masculine concord, etc.). this solution has the advantage to keep 
'classifier' as a cover term without the objections mentioned earlier in 
this discussion.

Guillaume



-- 
Guillaume Segerer
/LLACAN UMR 8135 - CNRS INALCO/
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