Question

If a noun has identical masculine and feminine forms, what indicates the gender?

1) The context of the sentence
2) The article used with the noun
3) The spelling of the noun
4) The pronunciation of the noun

Answer 1

The gender of a noun with identical masculine and feminine forms is primarily indicated by the article used with the noun. The context of the sentence may also provide additional clues about the gender, especially when it comes to agreements in adjectives or verb conjugations.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a noun has identical masculine and feminine forms, the gender of the noun is usually indicated by the article used with the noun. For instance, in languages like German, French, and Spanish where genders are assigned to nouns, an identical word can be masculine or feminine depending on the context and the associated definite or indefinite article. For instance:

• In Spanish, 'el estudiante' (the student) is masculine, and 'la estudiante' is feminine.
• In French, 'le guide' (the guide) is masculine, 'la guide' is feminine.
• In German, 'der Student' is masculine, 'die Studentin' is feminine, but for some nouns like 'das Mitglied' (the member), the noun stays the same and only the article changes.

The context of the sentence can also provide clues about the gender, especially in pronoun usage, agreements in adjectives, or verb conjugations. Spelling and pronunciation are not reliable indicators of gender in these cases.