Gender and Noun Class Markers in Kubeo (Tukanoan)

Abstract

This paper analyzes Kubeo’s system of nominal classification from a synchronic, diachronic and typological perspective. It is argued that Kubeo has two distinct but integrated systems, labeled as “gender” and “noun class markers” (CMs). Gender contrasts animacy and number for all nouns and sex-based gender only for animate nouns. CMs mostly code for physical properties. Both systems are productively used in several morphosyntactic, semantic and discourse functions, such as noun derivation, syntactic agreement, individuation, reference identification and management. The paper focusses on highlighting formal and functional asymmetries between the systems, especially in situations where gender and noun class overlap and compete. It is shown that despite a great deal of functional equivalence, Kubeo’s “gender” is more similar to typologically defined gender systems than the language’s class marker system, while the latter, by contrast, is more similar to specific types of noun class and classifier systems found in Amazonia and elsewhere.