14.3254, Disc: Grammatical Gender

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List:  Vol-14-3254. Tue Nov 25 2003. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 14.3254, Disc: Grammatical Gender

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1)
Date:  Sat, 22 Nov 2003 15:27:44 -0500
From:  Karen Stanley <kstanley at perigee.net>
Subject:  Re: 14.3199: Disc: Grammatical Gender

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Sat, 22 Nov 2003 15:27:44 -0500
From:  Karen Stanley <kstanley at perigee.net>
Subject:  Re: 14.3199: Disc: Grammatical Gender


The comment by Rajendran C (Linguist 14.3199),
"isn't it fascinating that in a language like Sanskrit,
the same concept is referred to in three different genders?"
made me wonder where the concept of nouns as having
*gender* (versus simply being in different categories,
or being different classes of noun) originated.

It wouldn't be so strange (at least to me) to think of
having nouns from three different *categories* refer to
a similar/the same object; it seems it is only when we
think of them as having different *genders* that it strikes
us as odd or unusual.


Karen Stanley
karen.stanley @ cpcc.edu
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

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