Gender of the Collective in Kailīla WA-Dimna

Abstract

Under the term of the collective following categories are included in this work:

(1) collective nouns denoting non-rational beings ġayr al-'uqalā) the nomen unitatis of which is made by means of the suffix -at (e. g., šağar);

1(2) collective nouns denoting rational (al-'uqalā) and non-rational beings (ġayr al-'uqalā) the noun. of which is made by means of:

A - a name from another root (e. g., 'ibil: baīr);

B - a name from another form of the same root; there are four such forms: a) fā'il, b) fa'al, e) fu'a, d) fa'l;

(3) coNective nouns denoting rationai beings (al-'uqala') the noun. of which is made by means of the suffix:

a) -FY (e. g., al-'arab: 'aralb^yy);

b) -at (e. g., mārr: mārra^t).

Since the collective has no formal designation of gender and number they can be inferred by its concord with pronouns, adjectives and verbs.

Šayḫō's edition of Kalīla wa-Dimna (Beirut, 1957) has been taken as the basis of this investigation.

59 collectives were used times in the book in such a way that the gender {or the gender and number) could be seen.

Of 29 collectives from the group (1), used 9,6 times, 24 are construed only with sing. masc., 1 only with sing. fem., 1 with fem. (both numbers), and 3 with both genders and numbers. One can easily notice that collectives of animals tend to be treated as plurals. Sing. mase. is used 5 times as much as sing. fem. and plural of both genders.

It is interesting that ḥamāma (in two instances) and šağara (only once) were construed with sing. mase.

Of 26 collectives from the group (2), used 224 times, 7 are construed only with sing. masc., 4 only with sing. fem., and 15 with both genders and numbers (2 of which only with plur. fern.).

Despite all the diversity in the use of gender and number, we can notice the tendency of the class of al-'uqalā' aḏ-ḏdukūr to be construed with plur. masc. (less frequency with sing. fem. And sing. masc.). Plur. fern. is reserved for animals (birds). The explanation could possibly be found in great influence of personification since animals stand for human beings.

There were 4 collectives from the group (3) and they had been given the same treatment as the internal plurals of al-'uqalā'.