Accidental Gender and Number in Nouns: Semantics and Morphology

Accidental Values of Gender

Some nouns have alternating genders that refer not only to sex but also to other non-sexual characteristics. Pottier refers to this as dimensional gender, where the alternating male/female forms refer to size. For example:

• El jarro (the jug) / La jarra (the jar)
• El cesto (the basket) / La cesta (the basket)

In these cases, the feminine form often implies a larger size. Similarly, when referring to trees and their fruit, the masculine form often denotes the tree, while the feminine form denotes the fruit:

• El naranjo (the orange tree) / La naranja (the orange)

When referring to people, the feminine form often denotes the female counterpart. For example:

• El alcalde (the mayor) / La alcaldesa (the mayor's wife)

Gender of Proper Nouns

Two factors influence the gender of proper nouns: semantic and morphological. The name refers back to a referent, which may be meaningless. The gender of proper nouns depends on the gender of the common noun to which the proper noun belongs. For example:

• -----Berlín, when referring to a person, takes the gender of the person.
• -----Berlín, when referring to the city, is feminine.

Names of men are masculine, even when derived from a feminine common noun, such as -----Rosario. Names of rivers, mountains, seas, countries, and peoples are generally masculine, although there are exceptions. Names of women or female animals, nations, regions, cities, provinces, towns, and villages are generally feminine. This also applies to companies and organizations, such as NATO, although exceptions exist. Cities with names ending in -or tend to be masculine, while towns with names ending in -a tend to be feminine.

Gender of Compound Nouns

Prefix + Noun: The gender is usually determined by the primitive noun. The prefix does not change the gender, although there are exceptions.

Noun + Adjective: The gender usually remains that of the noun if the noun precedes the adjective. For example, el aguardiente (brandy) remains masculine.

Noun + Noun: If both nouns have the same gender, the gender remains unchanged. If they have different genders, the gender of the second noun usually prevails.

Verb + Noun Derivatives: These tend to be masculine. For example, el sacacorchos (the corkscrew).

Number of Substantives

Nouns are categorized by number; that is, adding the number morpheme does not change their status as nouns. Number is less inherent to nouns than gender. Number involves the type of quantification. This also applies to diminutives and augmentatives.

According to Lyons, all languages have the status of quantification. Quantity is expressed by cardinal numerals. Both gender and number are arbitrary, as they respond to the way reality is conceived. Not all nouns admit singular/plural forms. Some are only used in the singular, others only in the plural, and others in both forms. Number reflects how we conceive reality. Non-divisible nouns do not accept the plural morpheme. For example, hierro (iron) is uncountable, while casa (house) is countable.

Oppositions in Number

Some languages support the dual, referring to two entities. There are morphemes in Spanish that refer to two, such as padres (parents, meaning father and mother).

Internal Neutralization: Using either singular or plural, masculine or feminine, interchangeably. For example, el océano / la mar (the ocean/the sea). It is not very common for the system to allow the use of either the singular or plural of a term, as in la tijera / las tijeras (the scissors).

External Neutralization: The use of one form includes the meaning of the other (using the singular includes the plural). For example, El hombre es mortal (Man is mortal).

Syncretism: The meaning overlaps in the plural and singular. For example, el lunes / los lunes (Monday/Mondays).

Number from a Morphological Point of View

In Spanish, the singular form often has a zero morpheme (-Ø), while the plural is formed by adding -s or -es. If the singular ends in an unstressed vowel or a stressed -é, the plural is formed by adding -s. For example, casa (house) becomes casas (houses). If the singular ends in a consonant or a stressed vowel other than -é, the plural is formed by adding -es. For example, camión (truck) becomes camiones (trucks).

Apocope: Loss of a phonological sound for etymological reasons. According to Harris, in the deep structure, all nouns in Old Castilian had a plural marker, but it was lost in the surface structure.

Epenthesis Theory: Insertion of a sound that is not etymologically justified. For example, una moto (a motorbike). According to Saltarelli, the -e in some plurals does not exist in the deep structure but is added through epenthesis. For example, bisturí (scalpel) becomes bisturíes (scalpels).