New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-12
GENDER.
ITS HUMORs, AS EXEMPMFIED IN VA
RIOUs LANGUAGES

ITS HUMORs AS EXEMPL1FIED IN VA
RIOUs LANGUAGEs
From The Pail Mall Gazette.
There is fun which the vulgar do not suspect
in the study Of languages. European tongues
springing from the same root, except Basque ana
Magyar and Turkish, have been drilled into uni
formity OF structure. They give no notion OK
the tricks and complications which savage men
devise to express their simple thoughts. But
the reader must not suppose am more learned
than himself in this science; II Is only In mIscei-
laneous skimming of books that few odd little
examples have impressed themselves upon my
memory.
Observe the detail OF gender. II seems to u
that nature itself has regulated that matter
once for all. In most languages OF course
inanmate things are treated as masculine or
feminine; everybody knows that our own lore
fathers did the same long ago. But, in any case,
male. female and net or genderS exhaust tho
possibilities You cannot have more than three
genders or less than two, for the sexes must
be distinguished So II appears 10 the civilized
mortal. But an Australian of DAILY River con.
trives to recognize four. while an Algonquin or
North America and 4 Dravidian OF India have
two. indeed but they are not male and female
For the DAILY River person insists that plants
shall have a gender Of their own; the Algonquin
and the Dravidian agree that it is the distnc-
ton OF living and dead. not that OF Sex which
should be maintained. The great Fulah nation
also ignores male and female making one COM
prehensive gender for human beings and every
thing that relates thereto and another for all
creatures and things outside. Thus. tame cattle
are distinguished from Wld. ana tree planted
with intention from one that springs naturally.
Upon the other hand. those poor Armenians
have not even one gender to bless themselves
with
But the Australians Of tho DAILY River actual
ly put gender into their verbs Humane persons
would not credit such an outrage upon lower au-
thOnty than that Of the Rev. ID. McKillop in
charge Of a Roman Catholic mission there. only
to think Of learning such language gives one
a shver We do not hear how many moods so
to a verb. but the lenses are vaguely and awful
~ described as endless; perhaps the rev.
erend gentleman had not yet succeeded in count
ing them. Thrty-five are reckoned in the
speech Of the BasutO Kafiirs-nO less do those
interesting barbarians require FOR conversation.
But they DO not call upon them to agree with
person. That is the exclusive demand Of the
Mullok- MullOks. Cherries and POnga- POngas.
among whom Mr. MckillOD and his brethren
spend their days. desperately wrestling with the
parts Of speech. Another cOntrivance, not
elusive but more highly developed on the DAILY
River apparently. than in any other land or
age, is the infection Of the adjective. Besides
singular and plural they have. we should ex
poet. tho dual. land they are very strict about
the OF it" one would say that the resources
" human speech do not allow the plural num-
Der 10 be formed unless by change in the first or
the last syllable Of the noun the interpostion
of one midway. in Turkish. But AntpOdean
ingenuity is equal to the task. These black Eel
lows express the plural by change, not in the
noun but in the verb. Upon the whole. there
IS no such lively example OF the perpeXing rule
that language is more complicated. and more
scrUpuous 10 interpret the speakers meaning,
in proportion to the barbarism Of those who use
1t. There are exceptions enough, of course