DISCOVERING THE GENDER OF NOUNS IN UKRAINIAN

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31494/2412-933X-2019-1-8-146-153

Keywords:

noun, male, female, average, common genus, grammatical category, morphology, number, case.

Abstract

Problems and difficulties that occur while determining the gender of nouns on the stage of deepening, generalization and systematization of Ukrainian language knowledge have been considered. The noun is one of the most studied units of language. Despite the long history of nouns’ researches there are still questions that linguistics cannot answer. One of them is the gender of nouns as it still causes difficulties. Formation and determining specifics of masculine, feminine, neuter and common grammatical gender have been rationalized. Grammatical gender of nouns is rather abstract grammatical category due to the fact that its connections with the meaning of the noun, especially when speaking about inanimate nouns sometimes cannot be defined. Grammatical gender of animate and inanimate nouns displays differently. Grammatical gender of inanimate nouns is strictly grammatical, formal category and gender of animate nouns is connected with lexical and grammatical categories. Grammatical gender of these two noun groups is expressed by different means. On this condition categorization function of masculine and feminine gender is intended to reflect the objective, non-verbal actuality, distinction of beings that is accompanied by certain formal indicators ― endings, word formation suffixes and syntax means ― coordinate forms. It has been reviewed how gender of family and first name nouns is being determined. Determining the gender of nouns with foreign origin causes great difficulties and notice to this aspect has been taken in the article. Attention has also been paid to the specifics of determining gender of occupations, professions, ranks. Formation of nouns that refer to substances and collective nouns particularly difficulties that arise when familiarizing with collective nouns and nouns that denote things and other entities presented as substances has been reviewed and analysed. Determining the gender of nouns in Ukrainian language is rather difficult. That is why rules concerned with this grammatical category and needed for correct determining have been reviewed in the article.

References

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Published

2025-05-16

Issue

Section

LINGUISTICS ISSUES OF GRAMATICS AND COGNITIVE SCIENCE