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Path: utzoo!lsuc!msb
From: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Re: Gender-specific neuter pronouns
Message-ID: <344@lsuc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Feb-85 12:56:28 EST
Article-I.D.: lsuc.344
Posted: Fri Feb  1 12:56:28 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Feb-85 13:58:50 EST
References: <437@ptsfa.UUCP> <1285@bbncca.ARPA> <2285@mit-hermes.ARPA> <655@voder.UUCP>
Reply-To: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Organization: Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
Lines: 17
Summary: Tangential article - gender of Latin agricola, nauta

Gino Bloch (voder!gino) writes:
> Gender in Latin is a grammatical category, not a sex.
True regarding objects, at least.

> Examples are the
> two feminine nouns `agricola' and `nauta' - farmer and sailor; these
> nouns almost invariably described MEN.
False. Agricola and nauta are masculine despite being 1st declension.

My recollection of Latin is that most words that could refer to men or women
had two different forms--`servus' for a male slave, `serva' for a female.
This means that the original point, that `homo' is masculine, IS interesting.
Can someone confirm or deny this authoritatively*?  I'm only almost sure.
(*Give references.)

Mark Brader