West Germanic grammar
| West Germanic grammar |
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Nouns |
This page outlines the fundamental elements of the grammar of the West Germanic language
Gender
West Germanic preserves all of the Proto-Indo-European genders: masculine (mannlich), feminine (wiflich) and neuter (sakulich). This is more often than not unrelated to biological gender, for example, the West Germanic word for 'stone' (täre stan) is masculine. Words that describe a male or female such as 'man' (täre mann) and 'woman' (ta froe) often do correspond to sex, but with the notable exception of 'girl' (ta maiden), which is neuter due to its diminutive suffix '-en'. The ending of a noun can strongly suggest the gender. For instance, if a noun ends in a vowel, it is likely that it is feminine, but this is not a universal rule.
