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Unlike English, which follows natural gender, Greek almost always follows _________ gender.

A) Biological
B) Grammatical
C) Neutral
D) Masculine

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Greek language follows grammatical gender, where nouns are assigned a gender based on language rules rather than biological sex. Sociologists suggest that the grammatical gender in one's native language can influence perceptions and descriptions of the world. There is also a movement towards using gender-neutral language in society for inclusivity.

Step-by-step explanation:

Unlike English, which follows natural gender, Greek almost always follows grammatical gender. This concept indicates that nouns have a gender based on grammatical conventions rather than the biological differences between males and females. For instance, in Greek, the word for 'bridge' is feminine, and 'sun' is masculine, even though these objects do not have natural genders.

Many sociologists believe that the gender perceptions acquired in a person's native language can influence how they see the world. This was demonstrated in a study by Lera Boroditsky, where German and Spanish speakers, which have languages that assign genders to nouns, used adjectives that aligned with the grammatical gender of the nouns in question.

Recently, there has been a push towards gender-neutral language to be more inclusive of all gender identities. This includes using singular 'they/them' pronouns instead of the previously default masculine pronouns when referring to hypothetical persons or situations where gender is not specified.

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