Abstract
There are many different types of noun classification systems. These systems have different bases: Some are related to properties of the referents; others have language-internal rules. Among the first type, properties of the referents can be quite diverse. Some North American Indian languages classify according to the shape and size of the referent. The Algonkian languages have a system related to animacy and inanimacy (Bloomfield, 1946). 2 Most Indo-European languages base their system on the natural sex distinction, hence the term ‘gender’.3 As the basis of a classification system, gender must therefore be seen as one possibility among many.
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© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Mills, A.E. (1986). Gender in Linguistic Description. In: The Acquisition of Gender. Springer Series in Language and Communication, vol 20. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71362-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71362-0_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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