Re: What's a gender?

Den 22. des. 2006 kl. 05.56 skrev Benct Philip Jonsson:
>
> In Swedish _öl_ 'beer' as a mass noun is neuter gender, but
> in the meaning 'a glass of beer' it is common gender, even
> though _glas_ 'glass' is neuter. (Is it the same in
> Norwegian -- Taliesin, Lars, Arnt?)
Yes, we too say "Jeg tar en øl, takk". But "Det ølet var surt".
However aren't we thinking of two different words with the same root
here? Like the titles we sometimes encounter with different endings
dependent on the sex of the bearer, common in French and German for
example. In the first case the beer is a serving out of a brew, but
in the second case the noun refers to the brew. Beer as a general
concept also is neuter: "Ølets gleder, ølets forbannelse".

LEF

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