Gender and Number
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Gender and Number
Qebaric nouns distinguish gender and number through suffixes attached to the noun root.
Gender is usually lexical rather than visibly marked in the singular form, but it determines how plural, dual, and paucal forms behave.
Noun Formula
[ROOT] + [NUMBER] + [CASE]
Number suffixes come before case suffixes.
Gender Classes
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter/Inanimate
Animate beings are usually masculine or feminine, while objects, places, abstractions, and materials are commonly neuter/inanimate.
Singular
The singular uses the bare root.
Examples:
qatan = king
mural = queen
balad = land
Plural
Plural suffixes vary by gender.
Gender | Plural |
|---|---|
Masculine | -en |
Feminine | -un |
Neuter/Inanimate | -ad |
Examples:
qatan-en = kings
mural-un = queens
balad-ad = lands
Dual
Dual forms mark exactly two.
Gender | Dual |
|---|---|
Masculine | -et |
Feminine | -ut |
Neuter/Inanimate | -et |
Examples:
qatan-et = two kings
mural-ut = two queens
balad-et = two lands
Paucal
Paucal forms mark a small number greater than two.
Gender | Paucal |
|---|---|
Masculine | -em |
Feminine | -um |
Neuter/Inanimate | -em |
Examples:
qatan-em = several kings
mural-um = several queens
balad-em = several lands