Newsgroups: sci.lang
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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Gender in the world's languages
Message-ID: <D128JK.6s4@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <3cslm6$jd3@newshost.lanl.gov> <1994Dec18.000850.7221@henson.cc.wwu.edu> <D0zMKI.HBK@actrix.gen.nz>
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 13:38:06 GMT
Lines: 24

In article <D0zMKI.HBK@actrix.gen.nz> "Paul J. Kriha" <kriha_p@actrix.gen.nz> writes:
<Some IE languages, even though they have just the 'usual'
<three grammatical genders, also have a number of other
<bewildering grammatical concepts to complicate life.
<
<For example, some Slavic languages form plurals differently
<for animate and inanimate objects.

Good point.  This kind of thing does make the gender system more
complex, although not bewilderingly so, in my opinion.

<They also have up to 6 different 'declention patterns'
<in each gender with adjectives declined as well as nouns.
<The way each noun is declined depends on which 'pattern'
<group it belongs to.

Yes, but the declension pattern doesn't affect agreement of any sort,
so this doesn't count.

-- 
`Release Jesus wi this mob hangin aroon?  Nae chance!'  (The Glasgow Gospel)
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, iad@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
