Re: Gender in language

On 28 Sep 2006 14:12:38 -0700, foggytown <foggytown@xxxxxxx>
wrote in
<news:1159477958.721616.209260@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
in sci.lang:

[...]

Back on point . . . I think the real question is condensed
to: why was the concept of gender established (by
whatever language did it first) to begin with?
(Disregarding the improbability of parallel language
evolution,

Considering how widespread gender agreement systems are and
the number language families in which they're found, it
isn't at all clear that this particular development is
improbable.

[...]

Brian
.