Gender Of Nouns Research Articles

The use of mnemonics techniques in teaching german grammar

The article deals with the specifics of teaching grammatical structure of the German language. Particular attention is paid to the use of mnemonic techniques designed to facilitate the processes of perception and memorization of new information, as well as to facilitate the usage of already studied grammar rules. Mnemonic techniques used when working with the category of gender of nouns, temporary forms, the morphological structure of lexical units of the German language are described separately.

Język niebinarny jako wyzwanie translatorskie na przykładzie polskiego tłumaczenia powieści Bernardine Evaristo pt. Girl, Woman, Other

NON-BINARY LANGUAGE AS A TRANSLATION CHALLENGE. THE CASE OF THE POLISH TRANSLATION OF BERNARDINE EVARISTO’S NOVEL GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER Translating non-binary language has been one of the major challenges for Polish translators in recent years. At present, various strategies are employed to neutralise the binary gender opposition in Polish. Some of them fit into the existing linguistic system, while others are completely innovative. The solutions range from using gender-neutral expressions (e.g. constructions involving the noun osoba ‘a person’ modified by an adjective or participle or the use of impersonal forms) to coining special forms for non-binary persons (e.g. nouns of neuter gender). The aim of this article is to analyse the non-binary language solutions adopted by Aga Zano in her translation of Bernardine Evaristo’s novel Girl, Woman, Other. The study shows that the translator employs a number of linguistic markers of non-binariness, which, in line with her aim, reflects the linguistic reality of our time. In the case of pronouns and verbs referring to the non-binary character of Morgan, the translator uses the neuter gender. She also creates innovative neutral forms of nouns that describe this person.

Gender assignment in Datooga nouns

This study describes gender assignment in Datooga nouns. The article shows that gender is linguistically expressed in Datooga nouns. Noun gender in Datooga is a non-agreeing one depicted as both overt and covert. The overt gender is morphologically represented using u/ud(v)- (feminine gender) and gi/ gid(v)- (masculine gender) prefixes. The covert gender is realised from the semantics of a given referent. The parameter size (sometimes understood in terms of consequences) of a referent, affective values associated with a referent and association with a male or female cultural sphere of life guide the semantics of noun gender assignment. Further, mythological association overrode the semantics of noun gender assignment in Datooga.

Effects of Grammatical Gender on Gender Inferences: Experimental Evidence From Italian Common Gender Nouns

Recent psycholinguistic research has focused on how different grammatical gender marking strategies affect people's mental representation of referents’ gender. Such works particularly explored how explicitly encoded linguistic elements, such as grammatical gender markers, may drive the inferential process as attentional clues. Results of reading comprehension tasks in French and German have shown that the explicit encoding of masculine gender in plural forms of role nouns often leads to a male bias, a specific masculine inference corresponding to the grammatical gender clue, even when the masculine form was intended as generic, thus including women and men. Moreover, comparing generic masculine forms with gender-fair alternatives revealed that the latter significantly reduce this male bias. The present study examines the impact of three gender marking strategies on the construction of generic mental representations. Indeed, the experiment tested generic masculine against two gender-fair forms (split masculine/feminine forms and ambiguous syntactic reformulations) among 38 Italian speakers. No significant effect was found in generating a generic mental representation through form manipulation. However, ambiguous syntactic reformulation realised by presenting target nouns from the Italian common gender noun class and through the neutralisation of determiners’ gender, increased the probability of a male-specific inference. Additionally, a keen interest in gender-fair language topics was linked to longer reaction times, indicating a higher cognitive effort during the inference process.

The History and Development of Noun Gender in the German Language

This article explores the historical development, cognitive aspects, and sociolinguistic influences on noun gender in the German language. It traces the evolution of grammatical gender from Proto-Indo-European roots through Old High German and Middle High German to Modern German, highlighting key changes and the impact of external influences such as Latin and other languages. The study examines phonological and morphological shifts, semantic roles, and the challenges faced by learners due to inconsistencies in gender assignment. It also delves into ongoing debates about the necessity and complexity of gender, proposed reforms, and the importance of understanding historical context for language learning and teaching. The article concludes with potential future directions for the German gender system, emphasizing the balance between linguistic heritage and inclusivity.

Representations of gender in conspiracy theories: a corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis

ABSTRACT This paper examines how gender is represented within conspiracy theories by drawing on data from a corpus composed of conspiracy theory documents. It presents an analysis of the collocates of gendered nouns, highlighting the ways that conspiracy theorists use language to reinforce connections between religiosity and masculinity and understandings of femininity that rely on biological gender essentialism. Further, this paper highlights the overlap in values between religious masculinity and hegemonic masculinity that occur within this discourse. It also argues that the ways in which gender is represented in conspiracy theory discourse shares links to far-right ideology, even when the conspiracies in question do not have direct or overt connections to the far-right.

THE PLACE OF NON-SYNTACTIC GRAMMATICAL MEANINGS IN F. FORTUNATOV’S THEORY ON THE GRAMMATICAL FORMS OF WORDS AND A. POTEBNYA’S THEORY ON THE INNER FORM OF THE WORD

The article attempts to establish a connection between the linguistic theories of F.F. Fortunatov and A.A. Potebnya. It is known that in nouns that name people and animals important to humans, the grammatical meanings of gender indicate their biological sex. As for the nouns that name inanimate objects, as well as some other animals, their grammatical meanings of gender for quite a long time were estimated by linguists as relics of an ancient form of thinking incomprehensible to modern people. However, if we consider the grammatical meanings of gender as a component of the inner form of the word, it becomes clear that when creating words, the meanings of the masculine gender were used to indicate the presence of such properties in objects that are inherent in male beings, such as their relatively greater activity, larger size, greater strength and greater independence. In turn, feminine grammatical meanings reflected the absence of these properties. The article emphasizes the similarity between the grammatical meanings of gender of nouns and the inner forms of words in their traditional lexicological understanding: (1) in different languages, the names of the same objects can have different grammatical gender meanings, (2) at the time of the appearance of a word, its inner form indicate the connection between the word and its lexical meaning, but over time inner forms can be obscured or lost, (3) like the traditional inner forms, the grammatical meanings of gender can either represent one of the components of the lexical meaning of the word, or may be part of its connotations.

Herrarne and damerna. The variation in the plural definite noun declension in Sweden and Finland in the 19th century

In the 19th century, definiteness in the plural could be marked with two different articles, -na and -ne, but the norms regulating the variation were not universally agreed upon. In this study, I investigate how 19th-century Swedish grammars approach the variation in suffixes and how the prescriptive norms match the language used in Swedish-language newspapers from the same era, with special attention given to the differences between the varieties of Swedish spoken in Sweden and Finland. For this purpose, two historical newspaper corpora were consulted, comprised of newspapers published during the 19th century in Sweden and Finland, respectively. The findings show that from the middle of the 19th century, the grammars are generally split into two practices, with one attributing the use of the articles to the declension of the noun, while the other, mainly associated with the historical-comparative school, attributing it to the grammatical gender of the noun. In addition, grammars written in Finland stress the semantic gender of animate nouns. This difference is also reflected in the corpora: while both varieties are influenced by both the gender and the declension, the declension is the most important factor in the Swedish corpora, whereas semantic gender is the main factor in the Finnish corpora.

The Role of Language Experience in the Acquisition of Spanish Gender Agreement: A Study with Nonce Nouns

Why is learning the gender of nouns so difficult for some bilinguals? We test the hypothesis that different language learning backgrounds or life experience with Spanish determine how learners follow different morphosyntactic cues for gender assignment in Spanish by testing learners with early and late language experience in an experiment with invented nouns. A total of 44 monolingually raised native speakers, 44 heritage speakers, and 44 L2 learners of Spanish were trained to learn 24 nonce words in Spanish presented in four input conditions that manipulated the number and type of cues to gender marking (determiner, word marker, adjective). After the learning sessions, the participants completed a word naming task, an elicited production task, and a debriefing questionnaire. The L2 learners were different than native speakers and heritage speakers in learning nonce nouns. They used morphosyntactic cues differently, relying on adjectives as their most-used strategy to assign gender, unlike native speakers and heritage speakers who used all cues. Our findings confirm processing differences between L2 learners and heritage speakers and suggest language learning background determines how learners discover reliable morphosyntactic cues to the gender of nouns in the input.

The effect of asymmetric grammatical gender systems on second language processing: Evidence from ERPs

Aims and objectives: This study examined the effect of the first language (L1) grammatical gender (GG) system on the second language (L2) gender agreement processing, particularly when L1 and L2 are asymmetric in their number of gender values such as in Spanish and German languages. Methodology: Behavioral and brain responses (ERPs) were registered while German native-speakers (16) and Spanish-German bilinguals (24) read sentences for comprehension. We manipulated gender agreement between the determiner and the noun: Der/*die Ring, “themasc/*thefem ringmasc.” The nouns were either of similar or opposite gender across languages or unique in L2 (neuter gender). Data and analysis: Behavioral responses measured participants’ ability to discriminate grammatical from ungrammatical sentences. For ERPs, N400 and P600 components were analyzed by means of a linear mixed-effect model. Findings/conclusion: Behavioral data showed that German native-speakers discriminated gender agreement violations better than Spanish-German bilinguals, irrespective of lexical gender overlap across languages. Native speakers showed a P600 effect to gender agreement violations, whereas bilinguals showed an N400-like effect to gender mismatches that involved same-gender nouns across languages and neuter gender nouns. Interestingly, opposite gender nouns between L1 and L2 that agreed in gender with the determiner were processed as incorrect for the bilinguals. These results suggest transfer effects from L2 learners’ L1 GG system that facilitate L2 gender agreement processing for similar and neuter gender nouns or hinder it for opposite gender nouns across languages. Originality: This study used ERPs to demonstrate how asymmetries in terms of the number of lexical gender categories between L1 and L2 GG systems can affect L2 learners’ ability to process L2 gender agreement in a native-like manner. Significance/implications: These findings elucidate the challenges L2 learners face when learning a three-gender value system in L2, including a great number of gender incongruences between L1 and L2 nouns and a new neuter gender category.

Orthographic and Morphological Variation of Loanwords in the Arabic Vernaculars

The present article discusses the key orthographic and morphological modifications that Anglicisms and Gallicisms undergo beyond their adaptation in various Arabic vernaculars. At the level of orthography, the spelling of words with a two-consonant beginning, compound nouns and abbreviations is analyzed. The range of analyzed morphological categories includes gender and number for nouns, voice and mood for verbs. The need for a study is due to insufficient information about the above aspects of the adaptation of borrowings in Arabic dialects. For a detailed comparative analysis of various approaches to spelling and morphological adaptation, the author uses a questionnaire targeted for the dialect speakers. Based on the answers of 206 respondents from 18 Arab countries, it is concluded that the loanwords introduced via Arabic script preserve the source-language orthography. Borrowed abbreviations in participants’ answers mostly become acronyms. As for the gender of nouns, the participants tend to determine this morphological category relying on semantic analogy and phonetic similarity of endings. In matters of plural formation, suffixation remains the most popular way. However, in the case of inanimate nouns, up to a third of participants’ responses contain broken plurals. An analysis of borrowed verbs showed differences in the approaches of Arabic speakers from the Arab West and East in the adaptation of English and French lemmas and their subsequent conjugation. This circumstance allows us to conclude that the variability in adaptation is related to extralinguistic factors inherent in certain Arabic-speaking communities.

Съществителните имена от общ род в Найден-Геровия речник

The article explores the representation of common gender nouns in Nayden Gerov’s dictionary. The author outlines the structure of the dictionary entry and its characteristics, indicating the types of definitions employed. The analysis shows that the first multi-volume dictionary in Bulgarian lexicography offers a correct grammatical description and an accurate interpretation of the semantics of the nouns under consideration.

A Morpho-Syntactic Analysis of Gender-Fair Language in Advertisements of Cosmetic Products in Ghana

Gender-fair language challenges and dismantles prevailing societal gender preconceptions. Cosmetic advertisements have been criticized for unfair language choices that perpetuate gender stereotypes. This study is a morphosyntactic examination of gender-fair language in cosmetic advertisements. The social constructionist theory underpins the study. Thirty (30) product packages and labels for the Ghanaian market were used in this qualitative descriptive survey. Gendered terms were analyzed on the morphological level using Quirk et al.’s (1985) functional principle of word categorization. The data collected revealed that Gender-unfair language is prevalent in cosmetic advertisements. Product names, descriptions and claims often use gendered nouns, pronouns, adjectives, phrases of different types and imperative clauses. This reinforces the idea that certain beauty concerns and products are exclusively tailored to specific genders. Gender-unfair language in cosmetic advertisements results in a limited representation of beauty ideals and practices. The use of inclusive language and representations that challenge gender stereotypes and promote diversity was recommended for cosmetic advertisers. The paper provides insight into academic discourse and practical approaches in gender, communication and marketing studies. Keywords: Advertisements, Cosmetics, Gender-Fair Language, Stereotype, Morphosyntactic

Gender variation in indeclinable inanimate nouns and gender markedness in modern Russian

AbstractIn this paper, the results of a large web-corpus study on gender of Russian inanimate indeclinable common nouns are presented. In most cases, neuter is assigned to indeclinables as a default. However, morphophonological and semantic analogy may lead to feminine and masculine gender assignment. An extensive variation is observed in the whole group of indeclinables and for particular words, which is much larger than anything that can be found in indeclinable nouns. These data support the idea that both masculine and neuter genders have a special status in the Russian gender system (Magomedova & Slioussar 2023). Masculine tends to be chosen in case of conflicting gender cues. When there are no strong cues pointing to any gender, neuter is assigned as the default option. The results of the study are hardly compatible with various structural approaches to gender assignment, but can be accounted for in competition-based models.

Can Gender Nouns Influence the Stereotypes of Animals?

Educating about animals in zoos and aquariums poses daily challenges for education teams, who must not only master biological content but also possess communication skills to adapt information for diverse ages and cultures. This research consists of two sequential studies designed to investigate the impact of grammatical genders on animal stereotypes and elicited emotions. In Study 1, four animals were independently chosen based on a set of predefined conditions, which were then used in Study 2. The second study explored whether the presence of grammatical genders in the Portuguese language influenced the perceived stereotypes of four animals (panda bear, giraffe, polar bear, and cheetah) using the Stereotype Content Model framework. For comparison, English-speaking participants were also surveyed, as English lacks grammatical genders. The results demonstrated that grammatical genders influenced the perceived gender, as well as, although only slightly, the warmth, competence, and elicited emotions of some animals. All animals under study were associated with the protective stereotype, regardless of the presence of grammatical gender. This study emphasizes the significance of subtle yet crucial elements in communication, such as grammatical genders, in shaping stereotypes and innate emotional associations concerning animals.

Gender agreement with common nouns

The paper examines the distribution of gender agreement patterns with common gender nouns and the factors influencing the choice of a particular agreement pattern in Russian. After conducting a series of sentence completion and acceptability judgement experiments, we argue that referential agreement is the most preferable agreement model. Mismatch with a male referent is unacceptable; for the female referent it is marginal and dependent on the type of construction, but the acceptability and sentence completion data come into conflict. Mixed agreement is unacceptable. I show that common gender nouns do not possess lexical gender, and mismatch occurs due to agreement with default masculine gender

Lexical prediction does not rationally adapt to prediction error: ERP evidence from pre-nominal articles

People sometimes predict upcoming words during language comprehension, but debate remains on when and to what extent such predictions indeed occur. The rational adaptation hypothesis holds that predictions develop with expected utility: people predict more strongly when predictions are frequently confirmed (low prediction error) rather than disconfirmed. However, supporting evidence is mixed thus far and has only involved measuring responses to supposedly predicted nouns, not to preceding articles that may also be predicted. The current, large-sample (N = 200) ERP study on written discourse comprehension in Dutch therefore employs the well-known ‘pre-nominal prediction effect’: enhanced N400-like ERPs for articles that are unexpected given a likely upcoming noun’s gender (i.e., the neuter gender article ‘het’ when people expect the common gender noun phrase ‘de krant’, the newspaper) compared to expected articles. We investigated whether the pre-nominal prediction effect is larger when most of the presented stories contain predictable article-noun combinations (75% predictable, 25% unpredictable) compared to when most stories contain unpredictable combinations (25% predictable, 75% unpredictable). Our results show the pre-nominal prediction effect in both contexts, with little evidence to suggest that this effect depended on the percentage of predictable combinations. Moreover, the little evidence suggesting such a dependence was primarily observed for unexpected, neuter-gender articles (‘het’), which is inconsistent with the rational adaptation hypothesis. In line with recent demonstrations (Nieuwland, 2021a,b), our results suggest that linguistic prediction is less ‘rational’ or Bayes optimal than is often suggested.

Exploring the nature of the gender-congruency effect: implicit gender activation and social bias.

The aim of the study was to explore the nature of the gender-congruency effect, characterized by a facilitation on the processing of congruent words in grammatical gender. Moreover, we explored whether resemblances between gender identities and gender attitudes with grammatical gender modulated lexical processing. We designed a gender-priming paradigm in Spanish, in which participants decided the gender of a masculine or feminine pronoun preceded by three different primes: biological gender nouns (mapping biological sex), stereotypical nouns (mapping biological and stereotypical information), and epicene nouns (arbitrary gender assignment). We found faster processing of gender congruent pronouns independently of the type of prime, showing that the grammatical gender feature is active even when processing bare nouns that are not conceptually related to gender. This indicates that the gender-congruency effect is driven by the activation of the gender information at the lexical level, which is transferred to the semantic level. Interestingly, the results showed an asymmetry for epicene primes: the gender-congruency effect was smaller for epicene primes when preceding the feminine pronoun, probably driven by the grammatical rule of the masculine being the generic gender. Furthermore, we found that masculine oriented attitudes can bias language processing diminishing the activation of feminine gender, which ultimately could overshadow the female figure.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE DANISH DEFINITENESS ALTERNATION FOR CONCORD IN NANOSYNTAX

The Danish definiteness alternation presents two challenges for Nanosyntax. First, it displays structural allomorphy of the definiteness marker between a suffix and prenominal article; second, there is concord between the definiteness marker and noun gender. I show that Nanosyntax can address both issues, explaining the suffix-article alternation by virtue of its spellout algorithm and the lexical overlap between suffix and article. This account provides a deeper explanation for the structural allomorphy than the Distributed Morphology analysis proposed by Hankamer & Mikkelsen (2018). The existing proposal for concord in Nanosyntax (Caha, 2019) cannot handle this combination of gender concord and allomorphy, so I propose a simple copying mechanism which handles concord more flexibly. This new proposal, however, is substantially less restrictive than Caha’s framework, paving the way for future work to balance restrictiveness with empirical coverage of prefix/suffix alternations and concord across languages.

What’s so bad about being a manageress?

ABSTRACT A feminitive is a noun which restricts its extension to women/girls. They have a long history of use within English (e.g. princess, temptress), as well as more recent additions to English (e.g. manageress, hostess). The desirability of introducing feminitives as a device of feminist language reforms is controversial. While some are a helpful tool for raising the visibility of women in traditionally male roles and environments, some seem counterproductive because they reinforce the assumption that the default referents of the original term are men. We argue that this dual aspect of feminitives follows from observations about their semantic content. Our proposal is that feminitives are a useful opposition to expressions which semantically exclude women, but a harmful reinforcement of pragmatic presuppositions about the denotations of semantically gender neutral expressions. We suggest an interesting parallel with feminist language reforms which directly modify the grammatical gender of certain nouns in Russian.