Gender and Word Formation: The PIE Gender System in Cross-Linguistic Perspective

Abstract

This chapter tackles the issue of gender as a non-prototypical category at the border between derivation and inflection. It explores derivational and inflectional properties of gender, setting the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) gender system in the wider framework of nominal classification. The chapter compares gender with other types of non-prototypical categories, such as evaluation (non-protoypical derivation) and number (non-protoypical inflection). The category of gender has traditionally puzzled linguists and grammarians. Evaluative morphology is frequently found cross-linguistically. It involves derived lexemes such as diminutives, augmentatives, pejoratives, and so on. The chapter describes some properties of diminutives in Indo- European and other languages, which make it similar to or connected with gender. the Indo-European languages, diminutive suffixes consistently occur after other derivational suffixes if present. The Indo-European languages provide evidence for semantic contacts between feminine and diminutive. In addition, gender assignment by diminutive suffixes in the Indo- European languages is remarkable. Keywords: Cross-Linguistic Perspective; feminine; Indo- European language; morphology; Proto-Indo-European (PIE) gender system; suffixes; traditionally puzzled linguists