현대 러시아어에서 문법적 성체계의 기능전이현상

Abstract

In Modern Russian a lexical type "vrač 'doctor'" can refer both to a male and to a female. In Russian gender is generally determined according to sex and declension types (i.e. female→ feminine gender, male → masculine gender; zero desinence ≅ masc., -a≅fem., -o≅neuter gender); when there is a conflict between these two factors, the former plays a dominant determining role (RULE A). In this respect, the type "vrač" poses an interesting problem. Although it seems to be of masculine gender according to the declension type (zero desinence), it should be marked with so called "common" gender, since it can refer to both sexes. However, all dictionaries register it as mascline. This might be motivated by two factors: (1) linguistic enertia: sociologically, "vrač" has been restricted to a male sex until recently, (2) the pressure of declension types.