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Gender in the Khasi language




The English language does not have a grammatical gender as many other languages do. This means that it does not have a masculine gender or a feminine gender for nouns. The Khasi language however, gives gender to nature and objects. The two genders are distinguished only by means of the articles "U" for masculine and "Ka" for feminine in the case of singular nouns. For example, Cooked rice is "Ka ja" (feminine), A tree is "U dieng" (masculine), A road is "Ka surok" (feminine), A bed is "Ka jingthiah" (feminine), Chilli is "U sohmynken" (masculine), Cough is "U jyrhoh" (masculine) and Fever is "Ka shitmet/ jingshit" (feminine).


Many other languages also give gender to animate and inanimate objects. Some of these include German, Hebrew, French and Kashmiri.


Here are some words to compare:

Spoon: In Khasi "ka shamoit" is feminine, while in German "der Löffel" is masculine.


Salt: In Khasi "ka mluh" is feminine, while in French "le sel" is masculine.


Crow: In Khasi "ka tyngngab" is feminine, while in Kashmiri "کاو" [ka.w] is masculine.


Book: In Khasi "ka kot" is feminine, while in Hebrew "סֵפֶר" I/'sefer/I is masculine.


In the Khasi language, nature and objects are given a gender. This is present in the French language too and is mentioned by Rev. H. Roberts in his book A Grammar of the Khasi Language (1891). Thank you @naphisabet1303 for initiating this in our conversations! ♂️♀️♂️♀️
If anyone has studied Linguistics, we welcome your thoughts and observations in the comments section! 😀


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