INSIGHTS INTO THE CATEGORY OF GENDER IN THE DANISH LANGUAGE

Abstract

The article examines some peculiarities of the category of gender in the Danish language through the prism of combinability of nouns with agreement forms. Step-by-step analysis of the samples comprising both spoken and written Danish enables us to come to a conclusion that insofar as the Danish language is concerned the category of gender is not a purely grammatical category expressed in article forms. It transpires that the opposition of “specific denotatum” (common gender) and “matter” (neuter gender) makes the category of gender a semantic category as well. Besides, the category of gender in the Danish language can also be viewed as a pragmatic category. It can be observed when a speaker violates grammatical norms, expressing his/her attitude to denotatum/situation. Similar processes are registered in the category of number in the Danish language, especially when “indefinite plurality” is to be distinguished from «indefinite amount» or when one demonstrates his/her attitude to the situation.