En Feminine Gender Assignment in AA.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46661/ambigua.12406Keywords:
Gender assignment, variation, Algerian Arabic (AA), Gender shift, Diminutive feminine, Gender fluidity, FeminizationAbstract
This paper explores the gender variation in Algerian Arabic (AA), highlighting the complex and evolving process of gender assignment influenced by sociolinguistic interactions with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and French. Gender in AA reflects more than biological categories; it involves a flexible, context-driven system shaped by social perceptions of femininity and masculinity. The study investigates how certain nouns in AA shift gender (e.g., "cartable" from masculine to feminine) and the underlying semantic processes driving these transformations. It posits that gender realization in AA results from non-systematic shifts—such as the transition
from masculine to feminine based on semantic features like size, specificity, or cultural associate ions—rather than rigid linguistic rules. The paper also examines how French linguistic influence, particularly with diminutives and
specific gender forms, has contributed to the gender reassignment in borrowed nouns. Additionally, it addresses the role of culturally significant categories, like food, in assigning feminine gender in AA. The paper demonstrates that in AA, gender is a regularity derived from unconscious
semantic assignments rather than formal rules, revealing a highly dynamic interplay between language, culture, and gender in Algerian discourse.
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