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Though it can occur in all three genders, the lexical form of an adjective is the ________ ________ ________.

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Final answer:

The lexical form of an adjective is typically the masculine singular form, which aligns with the noun's gender and number in gendered languages like German and Spanish.

Step-by-step explanation:

Though adjectives can modify nouns in any gender, the lexical form of an adjective is the masculine singular form. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and can take on different forms to agree with the gender, number, and case of the nouns they describe. This phenomenon can be observed in languages such as German or Spanish, where nouns are inherently gendered, and adjectives must align with the noun's gender and number. So, for example, the masculine singular form of an adjective would be used with a masculine singular noun. This principle is not only useful for language learners to understand but also highlights how language can influence perception, as evidenced by research indicating that native speakers of gendered languages may describe the same objects differently based on the noun's grammatical gender.

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