Re: Indo-European Studies

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In article <smryanDCG0yD.F94@netcom.com>, smryan@netcom.com says...
>
>: Here's a thought: could the IE practice of associating particular genders
>: to nouns be viewed as the result of a sort of linguistic syncretism, almost
>
>In PIE the original distinction may have been this noun can be
>agent::this noun cannot which later became animate::inanimate.
>Femininity was indicated by a suffix -(e)A. Later animate and
>animate+A were distinguished as masc::fem.
>
>Once a noun acquires a gender, just as once a verb acquires
>a declension, it tends to keep it even as the language evolves.

smryan

Good thought, I like it.

Steve

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