Edit P. Forgács:
Untersuchungen zum Genussystem des Deutschen (Teil 1)
Abstract:
The present paper of which a second part is also planned aims to give an overview of the research concerning gender theoretical problems from the early 19th century through the systemlinguistical considerations of the first half of the 20th century to the modern explanatory attempts at the end of the century. The paper is to focus on both the diachronic and the synchronic perspectives equally. We also have to put the question whether the rules for allocating gender in German are part of a linguistic descriptive inventory or whether these rules in fact play a role in language processing taking place during gender determination. The present first part of the paper centres around the aspect of giving a historic overview, with special emphasis on the dispute over the origin of the category gender in the 19th century. The second part is to deal with and evaluate the theoretical views in the 20th century, especially with regard to the arbitrariness and motivatedness of gender allocation.
