Gender Universals in Oneida and Cree

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2013
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of Linguistics
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Thesis (B.A.)
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en_US
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Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.
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Abstract
In this paper, three of Greenberg's universals (1961) that pertain to grammatical gender are examined in the context ofCree and Oneida grammars. The validity ofuniversals relies on their observance by all languages. As North American languages were not included in the original formulation of Greenberg'S universals, studying Oneida's and Cree's methods of conformity strengthens both the universal itselfand the theories behind each one. Each ofthese universals takes on a separate issue of functions and manifestations of grammatical gender. Universal #32 relates gender and number verb agreement; #31 relates gender agreement on verbs and adjectives and fmally, #37 relates number and gender as they exist as noun classes in gendered language. For each universal I propose a theory as to why human language would like to follow such a pattern and what would be wrong or non-human about a language that does not follow it. These theories are rooted in the three main basic reasons for why universals are posited to exist: linguistic, psychological and anthropological. The peculiarities of Oneida and Cree genders, then, provide specific data to support these theories. Other noun classes which do not follow the universals are also included, providing a contrast to gender behavior and why it is unique.
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