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  • Gender: Maarten Mous

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    This document discusses gender in languages like Western Oromo and aspects of noun classification systems in Bantu languages. It makes the following key points: 1) In Western Oromo, most nouns are variable in gender but take the gender of the referent if it is sexed. Otherwise, gender is partly determined by final vowel. 2) Bantu languages have a pervasive noun class system with singular-plural pairs and semantic agreement with animates. Derivation within the class system can indicate meanings like diminutive or augmentative. 3) While Bantu languages generally show semantic tendencies in class membership, like long thin objects in one class, the current synchronic semantic values

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    Gender

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    This document discusses gender in languages like Western Oromo and aspects of noun classification systems in Bantu languages. It makes the following key points: 1) In Western Oromo, most nouns are variable in gender but take the gender of the referent if it is sexed. Otherwise, gender is partly determined by final vowel. 2) Bantu languages have a pervasive noun class system with singular-plural pairs and semantic agreement with animates. Derivation within the class system can indicate meanings like diminutive or augmentative. 3) While Bantu languages generally show semantic tendencies in class membership, like long thin objects in one class, the current synchronic semantic values

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    16 views16 pages

    Gender: Maarten Mous

    Uploaded by

    leetolbean
    This document discusses gender in languages like Western Oromo and aspects of noun classification systems in Bantu languages. It makes the following key points: 1) In Western Oromo, most nouns are variable in gender but take the gender of the referent if it is sexed. Otherwise, gender is partly determined by final vowel. 2) Bantu languages have a pervasive noun class system with singular-plural pairs and semantic agreement with animates. Derivation within the class system can indicate meanings like diminutive or augmentative. 3) While Bantu languages generally show semantic tendencies in class membership, like long thin objects in one class, the current synchronic semantic values

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 16

    Gender

    Maarten Mous

    Semantic aspects of gender


    Male / Female Agentives (but)
    Male / Female singulatives of animals/people

    Not semantically based


    examples of wrong gender
    m/f in multiple reference
    various values for gender for similar
    concepts (e.g. gourds)

    Semantic effects
    size
    endearment / pejoration
    significance

    Meaning of shift to feminine


    diminutive
    endearment / pejoration
    insignificant

    Meaning of shift to feminine


    Similar functions in neighbouring Omotic,
    Semitic of Ethiopia, including Amharic.

    Example of Western Oromo


    Clamons(1992:69)

    (1) asmallnumberoflexicallyspecifiedwordshaveinvariant
    gender(m)or(f);
    (2) therestofthewordsarevariableingender;
    (3) ifthereferentissexed,itssexwilldetermineitsgender;

    Example of Western Oromo


    (4) ifthereferentisnotsexed,unmarkedgenderispartly
    determinedbythequalityofthefinalvowel:
    (5) nounsendinginnonlowvowelsare(f),thoseendingin
    lowvowelsorconsonantare(m)
    (6) buttheothergendermaybeusedexpressively;
    (7) anumberofthenounsintheremainingcategoryhavean
    unmarkedgenderthatisnotpredictableonthebasisof
    formalpropertiesandhavetobelexicallyspecified
    (8) stillthesetoomayshiftingenderforexpressivepurposes.

    The meaning of (p)

    Insomelanguagesall(p)nounsarem.r.;allm.r.nouns
    are(p).Or(p)issemanticallypredictable:Agaw,
    Dullay.
    Oromoverbagreementofm.r.nounsis(p)or(f);(f)for
    collective
    Optionofsemanticagreementof(p)ontheverbfor
    (m/f)nounsinsomelanguages(Alagwa,partlySomali)
    (p)agreementontheverbfortheresolutionofgender
    conflictincoordinatedsubjectnounphrase

    The meaning of (p):


    Underived (p) nouns (Alagwa)

    Pluralwordsdaaqaay(p)childrentikay(p)women,
    wivesyawa(p)cattleaaraa(p)goatsbaaluu(p)days
    Liquidsandcollectivesilba(p)milkmintsart(p)fresh
    (ofmilk)ma'ay(p)waterqubu(p)hair
    Timexwa'i(p)eveningamasi(p)nightaans(p)former
    timespiray(p)nighttilldawnmatlatlee(p)morning
    Geographicalconceptstsiindo(p)westaluu(p)behind
    pahaa(p)valleyrawa(p)top,skytsee/aa(p)savanna,
    grassland

    The meaning of (p):


    Underived (p) nouns (Alagwa)
    Therest:
    fayee(p)marriagesettlement,brideprice
    kwa/u(p)houseofmanypoles(?)
    neetla(p)devil
    tse/era(p)healedwound
    umpumy(p)smallpox

    Bantu noun class system


    Establishment/definition

    Main characteristics
    pervasiveagreement
    overt
    singular/pluralpairing
    fewrootsinmultipleclasses
    classmembershipisreconstructable

    Semantic aspects
    semanticagreementwithhuman/animate
    derivationwithinthenounclasssystem
    associationinform/meaning

    Semantic aspects: derivation


    Shifttoclassnfordiminutive,toclassmfor
    augmentative
    Shifttoclass14forabstractconcepts
    Othersemanticdistribution:land/language/people;
    fruit/tree
    Positioningintoclassrforverbalnoun
    Shiftto(empty)class16,17,18forconceptsoflocation
    Shifttootherclassforplural

    Semantic aspects: what remains


    Characterisationoftendencies:
    long/thinin11
    treelikethingsin7
    liquidsin6
    roundin5
    Thesearereminiscentoffunctionsofnumeralclassifiers.
    Synchronicvaluedifficulttodetermine.

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