Genders and classifiers: A cross-lInguistic typology

Every language has some means of categorizing objects into humans, or animates, or by their shape, form, size, and function. The most wide-spread are linguistic genders– grammatical classes of nouns based on core semantic properties such as sex (female and male), animacy, humanness, and also shape and size. Classifiers of several types also serve to categorize entities. Numeral classifiers occur with number words, possessive classifiers appear in the expressions of possession, and verbal classifiers are used on a verb, categorizing its argument. Genders and classifiers of varied types can occur together. Their meanings reflect beliefs and traditions, and in many respects mirror the ways in which speakers view the ever-changing reality. This volume elaborates on the expression, usage, history, and meanings of noun categorization devices of different kinds, exploring their various facets across the languages of South America and Asia, known for the diversity of their noun categorization.