Exceptions/complications of grammatical gender
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Cases where grammatical gender does not "match" typical spelling and/or in regards to the gender or sex of the referent.
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 25 Mar 2024, 15:25.
[comments] grammar,reference,examples,dkpj In general, third-person pronouns match the number/gender/case of the replaced noun/noun phrase, but there are exceptions.
Note: For the purposes of explanation, examples will be color-coded. Feminine nouns, pronouns, and adjectives will be colored like this, masculine like this, neutral like this, and plural like this. Pronouns with unspecified gender (such as first and second-person) are colored like this. Superscripts will be used to indicate which adjectives and pronouns correspond to which nouns.
Animate persons/creatures
In general, the grammatical gender and social gender of the referent "match," with one another (women are referred to with the feminine "na," men with masculine "on," and gender-neutral/unknown persons with neutral "en"). This is, like in most other languages, based primarily off of appearance or social roles unless otherwise specified. For animate but non-person referents, such as animals, it is typical to use the pronoun of the same grammatical gender as the noun used to refer to the animal, unless it is necessary to distinguish the animal by its biological sex, or in the case of anthropomorphization (such as for a pet). In rare cases, the male and female variants of a particular animal will have separate word forms.
Referring to a specific individual whose gender and/or sex is not consistent with the gender of the noun used:
Certain nouns that refer to people or animals have grammatical genders, while still being capable of referring to a person/animal of any gender or sex. In these cases, it is common to use the pronoun that is consistent with the referent rather than the noun itself. For example:
The word for doctor is "medik," which is masculine. The following sentences refer to a female doctor.
Medik1 zdesc par juudarte2. Ti2 avu1 pohla ke3 malo3.
"The doctor1 is here to help you2. Tell her1 what's3 wrong3."
In such cases, adjectives that apply to the noun directly still take the gender of the noun.
Na1 buen1 medik1, par ke na1 intelíhentja1
"She1 is a good1 doctor1, because she1 is intelligent1."
Referring to a nonspecific individual whose gender and/or sex is not known:
For animate and sapient referents of unknown gender, speakers use either the neutral (neuter) pronoun, or the pronoun consistent with the grammatical gender of the noun. For animate but non-person referents, the grammatical gender of the noun would be used. The following sentences refer to a doctor of an unknown gender.
Medik1 zdesc? De on1?
"Is the doctor1 here? Where is he1?"
Medik1 zdesc? De en1?
"Is the doctor1 here? Where are they/is it1?" (animate singular)
Note: The neutral/neuter form does not contain any derogatory connotation (as "it" might in English), as all third-person pronouns encompass animate and inanimate nouns.
When the gender (grammatical or social) or sex is unknown or ambiguous and there is not a gendered noun used, it is common to use the neutral/neuter pronoun rather than masculine or feminine. This is often used with interrogative words like "who," or "what," as well as pronouns such as "someone." It should be noted that the majority of the time the pronoun is omitted entirely in shorter phrases, unless to eliminate ambiguity.
Algun1 vi, ev1 xut.
"(if) Someone1 comes by, shoot it (them)1."
Ke1 ahi? Ne nuuntha skuuqal ev1 seem.
"What's1 (out) there? I haven't heard anything like it1." ("it" would often be omitted in this case, unless used for emphasis)
Note: Usage of a feminine or masculine pronoun in such cases is not grammatically incorrect, but would not ever be used in normal speech.
Referring to a specific individual whose gender and/or sex is considered neither male nor female
Speakers have been observed using the neutral third person pronoun (as well as neutral adjectives) to refer to specific individuals whose gender would presumably be known or assumed. This is most commonly observed when referring to one specific individual of the group of interest, which is notable as the other two members are referred to almost exclusively with respective masculine or feminine forms. There is debate as to whether this practice was adopted to distinguish this individual from the two others in the group, or if it reflects some alternative understanding of social gender. Given the extremely limited speakerbase of the pidgin, it is impossible to speculate further on the matter. ✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article
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