The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Classifiers

This handbook offers a detailed account of grammatical gender and classifiers, two closely related linguistic phenomena that are used to subcategorize the nominal system in many languages of the world. The chapters approach the topic from a range of perspectives and draw on data from a variety of typologically diverse languages.

This handbook offers a detailed account of grammatical gender and classifiers, two closely related linguistic phenomena that are used to subcategorize the nominal system in many languages of the world. The contributors draw on data from a variety of typologically diverse languages and approach the topic from a range of different perspectives. In the first part, chapters summarize current theoretical research in the field, as well as suggesting new ways to analyse the relevant lexico-syntactic features. Part II turns instead to the substantial body of research on the acquisition of gender and classifier systems in different language families, while chapters in Part III explore the representation and processing of these systems, including coverage of code-switching and language processing in aphasia. Both these parts feature examples and data not only from Indo-European languages but also from under-represented and endangered languages. The final part of the volume presents a broad typological overview of gender and classifier systems across the world, with examples from Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia. The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Classifiers will be a valuable resource for researchers and scholars in morphosyntax, typology, psycholinguistics, and cognitive neuroscience of language.