Chapter 4. Gender marking in Shumcho
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Christian Huber
Abstract
Grammatical gender generally does not play a prominent role in Tibeto-Burman languages. Apart from lexical differentiation, the natural gender of a nominal with an animate referent can be specified by sex-indicating formatives but pronouns, adjectives or determiners are typically neutral in this respect and no agreement takes place. The West Himalayish languages, a subgroup of the Tibeto-Burman family, have borrowed a large number of lexical items from neighbouring Indo-Aryan languages, which have elaborate gender systems. Some of them have adopted a number of gendered terms in their masculine as well as feminine form. One such language is Shumcho, which is spoken in the district Kinnaur of the State of Himachal Pradesh in North India. The present chapter discusses all hitherto attested marking patterns in Shumcho and, where possible, presents potential cognates or sources of a loan.
Abstract
Grammatical gender generally does not play a prominent role in Tibeto-Burman languages. Apart from lexical differentiation, the natural gender of a nominal with an animate referent can be specified by sex-indicating formatives but pronouns, adjectives or determiners are typically neutral in this respect and no agreement takes place. The West Himalayish languages, a subgroup of the Tibeto-Burman family, have borrowed a large number of lexical items from neighbouring Indo-Aryan languages, which have elaborate gender systems. Some of them have adopted a number of gendered terms in their masculine as well as feminine form. One such language is Shumcho, which is spoken in the district Kinnaur of the State of Himachal Pradesh in North India. The present chapter discusses all hitherto attested marking patterns in Shumcho and, where possible, presents potential cognates or sources of a loan.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
-
Part 1. Functions of classifiers
- Chapter 2. The system of classifiers in Kilivila 10
- Chapter 3. Nominal classification in Assamese 30
-
Part 2. Diachrony of nominal classification systems
- Chapter 4. Gender marking in Shumcho 58
- Chapter 5. A single origin of numeral classifiers in Asia and the Pacific 113
- Chapter 6. Contact-induced reduction, loss, and emergence of numeral classifiers 161
- Chapter 7. Gender, classifiers, and diachrony in Khasian 200
- Chapter 8. Concluding discussion 226
- Index of subjects and terms 241
- Index of biographical names 245
- Index of languages, dialects and language families 249
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
-
Part 1. Functions of classifiers
- Chapter 2. The system of classifiers in Kilivila 10
- Chapter 3. Nominal classification in Assamese 30
-
Part 2. Diachrony of nominal classification systems
- Chapter 4. Gender marking in Shumcho 58
- Chapter 5. A single origin of numeral classifiers in Asia and the Pacific 113
- Chapter 6. Contact-induced reduction, loss, and emergence of numeral classifiers 161
- Chapter 7. Gender, classifiers, and diachrony in Khasian 200
- Chapter 8. Concluding discussion 226
- Index of subjects and terms 241
- Index of biographical names 245
- Index of languages, dialects and language families 249
