Re: R: Genders

Luca Mangiat wrote, regarding genders:
     "This is also shared by Egyptian: AFAIK its feminine ending was *-(e)t
(sen = brother (or was it son?); senet =sister/daughter). I remember I
noticed this when I read that 'Qohelet' was a feminine name (which sounded
quite strange to my ears)."

     Yes, names like Qohelet and Soferet are perfect examples of masculine
substantives ("Preacher" and "Scribe," both names) which terminate with the
marker of the feminine, -t.
     This also happens in Arabic; some masculine names end with the marker
of the feminine (usually called a "taa marbuTa," although in these cases the
two dots that mark it are removed so as not to confuse the reader as to the
gender of the person named).  Such a name is Allah, for example.  Another
rather common example of this phenomenon is the word for "successor, deputy;
caliph" "xaliifatun."

-Chollie

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