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Re: Sarah's language.

From:John Cowan <jcowan@...>
Date:Monday, January 13, 2003, 11:51
Garth Wallace scripsit:

> They're connected concepts--first declension is always masculine (except > for a few neuters), second is always feminine, third contains examples > of all genders, fourth is mostly feminine (IIRC)--but they don't line up > exactly.
This has got to break the record for error density. The 1st (-a) declension is almost all feminines; the 2nd (-o) declension is divided between masculines and neuters; the 3rd declension indeed contains nouns of all genders; the 4th (-u) declension also contains nouns of all genders, though masculines predominate; the 5th declension is very small and contains almost entirely feminines. There were, of course, exceptions: contemplate the Spanish sentence El poeta toca la mano. -- First known example of political correctness: John Cowan "After Nurhachi had united all the other http://www.reutershealth.com Jurchen tribes under the leadership of the http://www.ccil.org/~cowan Manchus, his successor Abahai (1592-1643) jcowan@reutershealth.com issued an order that the name Jurchen should --S. Robert Ramsey, be banned, and from then on, they were all _The Languages of China_ to be called Manchus."

Replies

Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>
Garth Wallace <gwalla@...>[despammed] Re: Sarah's language.