rarum 57: a mixed (aka “common”, “resolution”, “indefinite”) gender in 3rd person (probably also 2nd and 1st person) non-singular pronouns for reference to mixed sets of antecedents, which naturally is without a singular counterpart
Where found
all Central Khoisan lgs, and widespread also elsewhere in Khoisan; Vanimo (Sko, “Papuan”); Bukiyip (Torricelli, “Papuan”); probably also elsewhere in “Papuan”; probably Khasi (Mon-Khmer); probably Turkana (Nilo-Saharan); probably Chinook (Chinookan)
Domain
morphology: inflection
Subdomain
categories and their domains: gender, respect
Keywords
mixed gender, number
Type
rarum
Universals violated
Source
Plank, Frans & Wolfgang Schellinger (1997). The uneven distribution of genders over numbers: Greenberg Nos. 37 and 45. Linguistic Typology 1: 53-101; pp. 79-81
Illustrated schematically, based on French: ‘il et il … ils; elle et elle … elles; il et elle … ulles’; real French uses a more common resolution strategy, viz. to give one gender priority over the other(s) in cases of conflict; the most common strategy of course is not to distinguish genders in non-singulars in the first place.
Illustrated schematically, based on French:
‘il et il … ils; elle et elle … elles; il et elle … ulles’;
real French uses a more common resolution strategy, viz. to give one gender priority over the other(s) in cases of conflict;
the most common strategy of course is not to distinguish genders in non-singulars in the first place.