Re: Another question: genders

On Thu, 10 Aug 2000, Lars Henrik Mathiesen wrote:

> Or perhaps common. It's traditionally used for languages like Danish
> that only have two noun genders, common and neuter. (Some dialects of
> Danish, but viz. not the standard, still have three genders --- and
> all have masc. and fem. personal pronouns).
Valdyan nouns aren't inflected for gender, just the pronouns, and
those have four genders: masculine, feminine, neuter, and something
that used to be called "androgynous", is now called "common" and may
be called "epicene" or even "animate" in the future. Note that this
is *not* to be politically correct ;-)

The masculine and feminine pronouns are used only for male/female
humans, deities and animals when their gender is important; that is,
always for men, women, gods and goddesses mentioned by name, and
occasionally for male and female animals (for instance when talking
about a brood-mare).

The neuter pronouns are used for inanimates: things and abstract
concepts.

All others are common gender. Valdyans usually don't care whether a
doctor or a carpenter is a man or a woman, as long as they do their
work - the best wainwright in the country is a dour woman called
Mialle. Mixed groups also take the common gender, as does the
androgynous deity Timoine, even if (s)he appears explicitly male or
female.

   Irina

--
           Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastynay.
irina@valdyas.org (myself)     http://www.valdyas.org/irina/valdyas