Clues to Grammatical Gender

Physical gender often, but not always, can provide clues to grammatical gender. There are, though, some other ways to determine, or at least to have a reasonable guess, as to what grammatical gender a noun may bear. Compound words are the most reliable, and many suffixes can also be used to determine what the grammatical gender of a given noun is most likely to be.

COMPOUND WORDS

English has many compound words.

rain + water = rainwater

chain + saw = chainsaw

Deitsch has even more than English. The good news is that, if you know the grammatical gender of the second word that forms the compound, then you know the grammatical gender of the compound word. The grammatical gender of a compound word follows the second portion.

For example:

es Fescht is grammatically neuter.

As a result, Hoietfescht, Erntfescht, Luulfescht, and any compound word that ends in "fescht" will also be grammatically neuter.

es Hoietfescht

es Erntfescht

es Luulfescht

Another example:

der Sege is grammatically masculine.

Thus, Hollesege and Zisasege would also be grammatically masculine because, as compound words, they end in the grammatically masculine "sege," which refers to the ceremony.

der Hollesege

der Zisasege

SUFFIXES

Deitsch has a lot of suffixes, as does English. Many suffixes are clues to what the grammatical gender most likely is. There are exceptions to many of the rules, particularly for words borrowed from other languages, but this is a start. This list is just the tip of an iceberg; I am merely presenting some of the suffixes that you are likely to encounter early on in Urglaawe and in your studies.

MASCULINE

-er (in the context of one who does something): der Fischer - fisherman. English cognate of this suffix is "-er" as in "baker"

-ich: der Hunnich (honey); der Keenich (king)

-ling: der Rohling (a tough guy; rough person). English cognate of this suffix is "-ling" as in "fledgling."

FEMININE

-ei: die Braucherei; die Hexerei; die Deitscherei. English cognate of this suffix is "-y" as in "bakery"

-heet, -heit, -heid: die Weisheet (wisdom). English cognate of this suffix is "-hood" as in "childhood."

-in: feminine occupational or identity suffix. die Braucherin. Old English cognate ("-en") was supplanted by "-ess" from the Romance languages.

-ing, -ung: Words ending in "-ing" are less reliable than words ending in "-ung" to be grammatically famine, but most are. die Lenzing (March); die Beschreiwung (description). English cognate is "-ing," often including participial ending.

-nis (split evenly between Feminine and Neuter based on whether it is derived from adjectives or verbs expressing a state of mind (Feminine) or from concrete objects or concepts not reflecting a state of mind (Neuter): die Erlabnis (permission)); die Biddernis (bitterness). English cognate is -ness, as in "bitterness." See listing under Neuter below.

-keet, -keit: die Gemietlichkeit (state of coziness and secure sense of belonging.

-schaft: die Sippschaft. English cognate is "-ship" as in "friendship."

NEUTER

-che: Not as common in Deitsch as its cognate is in German. es Meedche (maiden)

-el: es Meedel (girl)

-li: es Meedli (endearing suffix; little girl)

-nis (when not derived from an adjective or reflecting a state of mind): es Bindnis (alliance). English cognate is -ness as in

-tum: es Heidetum (Heathendom, Heathenry)

                                                                                                 - Robert Lusch Schreiwer