Нека запажања о броју и роду у српскохрватском језику

Abstract

Focussing her attention on the interdependence of the grammatical categories of number and gender in Serbocroatian, the author points to the fact tћаt the (sporadic) change of gender between the singular and the plural is of functional value in differentiating the forms of the singular from those of the plural. She also lights up more throughly the grammatical situation occurring in the predicate when conjoined nouns of different gender are concerned, discusses in more details the reasons for which the masculine gender agreement is favoured and gives special consideration to the rules of grammaticalization operating in the counted plural. In her opinion, there is in Serbocroatian a dual form of familiy names opposed to the normal plural form, which occurs when one is referring to married couples“ Petrovićevi = "Mr. and Mrs. Petrović” /Petrovići = 'Mr. Petrović, Mrs. Petrović and their children or “the two (three . . . ) brothers Petrović etc. As regards the claim of some linguists that in the environment after numerais Serbocroatian formally distinguishes paucal (i.e. 'little plural) and (big) plural, the author advances new arguments to support their view. The research of recent years concerning the vocabulary of Serbocroatian has been marked by a constantly growing interest in the actual distribution of masculine / feminine nouns which serve to denote female persons by their profession (profesor /profesorka Danica Petrović, Ona je lekar/lekarka etc.). The author underscores the importance of distinguishing between the referential. and the non-referential use of these nouns in order to understand when and why a free choice of their masculine / feminine versions is precluded. She also explains why one cannot but disapprove the feministic approach to this problem.