Feature GB321: Is there a large class of nouns whose gender/noun class is not phonologically or semantically predictable?

Patrons: Hannah J. Haynie

Description ⇫

Summary

A noun class/gender system categorizes nouns for the purposes of grammatical agreement with other constituents in the noun phrase or other inflectional morphology. See the classification wiki page for more information on our definition of noun class/gender. Noun class/gender assignment may be based on one or several factors. This feature asks whether the noun class/gender system of a language includes a large or open class of nouns whose assignment to that class is not predictable based on phonology or semantics. In other words, such a class will appear to be assigned arbitrarily.

Keep in mind that it is common for noun classes to include members that are not entirely predictable. Noun classes that are generally organized around a semantic or phonological property may also include some idiosyncratic members. The arbitrary assignment of some nouns to otherwise semantically or phonologically defined classes is not what this feature targets.

Procedure

  1. If there is a system of nominal classification where some markers vary based on the category of the noun,
  2. And if these markers are not used only with numerals, demonstratives, and possessors (or some subset of these categories),
  3. And if these markers are involved in agreement within the noun phrase, inflectional marking of the noun, or indexing,
  4. And if there is a large or open set of nouns that forms a single gender/noun class and whose members do not obviously share any semantic or phonological properties, code 1.
  5. If there are no genders/noun classes whose members do not generally share certain semantic or phonological properties, code 0.
  6. If the only genders/noun classes whose members do not generally share semantic or phonological properties are small and not open, code 0.
  7. If there is one or more gender category/noun class that is generally semantically or phonologically predictable (e.g. based on the semantic criteria described in GB051, GB052, GB053, or GB054) but with exceptions to that predictability, and no other large or open gender/noun class category whose members are not clearly related by semantic or phonological properties, code 0.

Examples

Mullukmulluk (ISO 639-3: mpb, Glottolog: mull1237)

This language categorizes nouns into four noun classes, three of which are defined by semantic characteristics: plants and vegetable food, trees, and animals hunted for food. The fourth is a large "residual morphologically unmarked class" that contains all nouns not included in any of these three semantically-defined classes (Birk 1976: 97–98). Mullukmulluk is coded 1.

Zuni (ISO 639-3: zun, Glottolog: zuni1245)

Zuni has three noun classes. Class 1 "is a large and productive class, containing not only the greatest proportion of basic roots but also roots formed by a number of derivations" (Newman 1965: 55). Class 2 contains only basic monosyllabic roots, and class 3 consists of roots formed by -la (objects in a shallow container) or -pa (objects in a deep container). While phonological, morphological, and semantic properties are involved in the categorization of nouns into classes 2 and 3, class 1 is a large, open noun class. Zuni is coded 1.

Iatmul (ISO 639-3: ian, Glottolog: iatm1242)

In Iatmul, animate nouns associated with biological sex (e.g. ‘man’, ‘woman’) are assigned to a fixed gender category based on sex. Most nouns that are not associated with biological sex can be used with either masculine or feminine gender, typically resulting in semantic differences related to the size of the referent (i.e. masculine gender imparts a reading of larger size; feminine imparts a reading of smaller size). A small number of nouns are assigned arbitrarily to a fixed gender category. These include the meanings ‘sun’ (masc.), ‘moon’ (fem.), ‘wind’ (masc. in Nyaula dialect, fem. in Pali’bei dialect), certain animal species names and certain generic animal names (Jendraschek 2012: 124–127). Although the assignment of nouns to fixed gender categories is not perfectly predictable based on biological sex, the number of nouns that are assigned arbitrarily to a fixed class is small and though the patterns are not exceptionless, the gender categories in this language are substantially semantically defined. Iatmul is coded 0.

Further reading

Corbett, Greville G. 1991. Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Senft, Gunter. 2000. Systems of nominal classification. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References

Birk, David Barry Wilson 1976. The MalakMalak language, Daly River (Western Arnhem Land). (Pacific Linguistics: Series B, 45.) Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.

Jendraschek, Gerd. 2012. A grammar of Iatmul. Regensburg: Habilitationsschrift, Fakultät für Sprach-, Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften, Universität Regensburg.

Newman, Stanley. 1965. Zuni grammar. (University of New Mexico Publications in Anthropology, 14.) Albuquerque: The University of New Mexico Press.


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0 absent 1745
1 present 214
? Not known 173
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Values ⇫

Name Glottocode Family Macroarea Contributor Value Source Comment