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This chapter discusses the implications of an acceptability test designed to evaluate the Swedish native speakers's reluctance to form the neuter gender of certain adjectives such as the defective adjectives. This chapter provides some observations related to the Löwenadler paper. While the paper focused on the certain Swedish adjective forms which are regarded as ungrammatical by most Swedish speakers, the present chapter places emphasis on the actual evaluation of the logically possible yet unacceptable neuter alternatives. To provide a better understanding of the reluctance of speakers to use neuter gender, the chapter provides some additional factors aside from the inflectional process that define the judgements derived from the acceptability test.

This chapter begins with a grammatical function common to nouns and verbs, that of number. It starts with the dual,reviewing its place in linguistic scholarship, and its distribution in Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, and argues that it tends to be present early on and progressively lost. A brief history of the dual in Greek is presented, from Homer, through the dialects and the Koine, to (Lecture 15) the Atticist reaction, concluding with remarks on the use of the dual. Passing on to singular and plural, the chapter focuses first (Lectures 15–16) on nouns without singular forms (pluralia tantum) and nouns without plural forms (singularia tantum), and then (Lectures 17–18) it discusses the most important uses of singular and plural, ending with the neuter plural and other instances of disagreement in number between subject and verb.

This chapter begins with a grammatical function common to nouns and verbs, that of number. It starts with the dual, reviewing its place in linguistic scholarship,and its distribution in Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, and argues that it tends to be present early on and progressively lost. A brief history of the dual in Greek is presented, from Homer, through the dialects and the Koine, to (Lecture 15) the Atticist reaction, concluding with remarks on the use of the dual. Passing on to singular and plural, the chapter focuses first (Lectures 15–16) on nouns without singular forms (pluralia tantum) and nouns without plural forms (singularia tantum), and then (Lectures 17–18) it discusses the most important uses of singular and plural, ending with the neuter plural and other instances of disagreement in number between subject and verb.

This chapter begins with a grammatical function common to nouns and verbs, that of number. It starts with the dual, reviewing its place in linguistic scholarship, and its distribution in Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages,and argues that it tends to be present early on and progressively lost. A brief history of the dual in Greek is presented, from Homer, through the dialects and the Koine, to (Lecture 15) the Atticist reaction, concluding with remarks on the use of the dual. Passing on to singular and plural, the chapter focuses first (Lectures 15–16) on nouns without singular forms (pluralia tantum) and nouns without plural forms (singularia tantum), and then (Lectures 17–18) it discusses the most important uses of singular and plural, ending with the neuter plural and other instances of disagreement in number between subject and verb.

This chapter begins with a grammatical function common to nouns and verbs, that of number. It starts with the dual, reviewing its place in linguistic scholarship, and its distribution in Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, and argues that it tends to be present early on and progressively lost. A brief history of the dual in Greek is presented,from Homer, through the dialects and the Koine, to (Lecture 15) the Atticist reaction, concluding with remarks on the use of the dual. Passing on to singular and plural, the chapter focuses first (Lectures 15–16) on nouns without singular forms (pluralia tantum) and nouns without plural forms (singularia tantum), and then (Lectures 17–18) it discusses the most important uses of singular and plural, ending with the neuter plural and other instances of disagreement in number between subject and verb.

This chapter begins with a grammatical function common to nouns and verbs, that of number. It starts with the dual, reviewing its place in linguistic scholarship, and its distribution in Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, and argues that it tends to be present early on and progressively lost. A brief history of the dual in Greek is presented, from Homer,through the dialects and the Koine, to (Lecture 15) the Atticist reaction, concluding with remarks on the use of the dual. Passing on to singular and plural, the chapter focuses first (Lectures 15–16) on nouns without singular forms (pluralia tantum) and nouns without plural forms (singularia tantum), and then (Lectures 17–18) it discusses the most important uses of singular and plural, ending with the neuter plural and other instances of disagreement in number between subject and verb.

The presentation of earlier theories of grammatical gender opens with detailed discussion of a famous scene from Aristophanes' Clouds. The presentation of the linguistic facts begins with the question of the marking of gender on (and by means of) pronouns of different kinds in various languages. With Lecture 2, the noun is looked at, to the formal differentiation of nouns according to the sex of the referent, to other types of gender-motivated opposition (e.g., Lat. animus vs anima), and to the relations between neuters and masculines/feminines. Lectures 3 and 4 address the relation between declension and grammatical gender, both in nouns denoting animate beings (including communia and epicoena) and in other nouns (including the example of Lat. dies). This chapter concludes (Lecture 5) with three further discussions: of theories concerning the origin of gender in names for inanimate objects; of the phenomenon of change of gender, with special reference to the gender of loanwords; and of gender-marking on adjectives.

The presentation of earlier theories of grammatical gender opens with detailed discussion of a famous scene from Aristophanes' Clouds. The presentation of the linguistic facts begins with the question of the marking of gender on (and by means of) pronouns of different kinds in various languages. With Lecture 2,the noun is looked at, to the formal differentiation of nouns according to the sex of the referent, to other types of gender-motivated opposition (e.g., Lat. animus vs anima), and to the relations between neuters and masculines/feminines. Lectures 3 and 4 address the relation between declension and grammatical gender, both in nouns denoting animate beings (including communia and epicoena) and in other nouns (including the example of Lat. dies). This chapter concludes (Lecture 5) with three further discussions: of theories concerning the origin of gender in names for inanimate objects; of the phenomenon of change of gender, with special reference to the gender of loanwords; and of gender-marking on adjectives.

The presentation of earlier theories of grammatical gender opens with detailed discussion of a famous scene from Aristophanes' Clouds. The presentation of the linguistic facts begins with the question of the marking of gender on (and by means of) pronouns of different kinds in various languages. With Lecture 2, the noun is looked at,to the formal differentiation of nouns according to the sex of the referent, to other types of gender-motivated opposition (e.g., Lat. animus vs anima), and to the relations between neuters and masculines/feminines. Lectures 3 and 4 address the relation between declension and grammatical gender, both in nouns denoting animate beings (including communia and epicoena) and in other nouns (including the example of Lat. dies). This chapter concludes (Lecture 5) with three further discussions: of theories concerning the origin of gender in names for inanimate objects; of the phenomenon of change of gender, with special reference to the gender of loanwords; and of gender-marking on adjectives.

The presentation of earlier theories of grammatical gender opens with detailed discussion of a famous scene from Aristophanes' Clouds. The presentation of the linguistic facts begins with the question of the marking of gender on (and by means of) pronouns of different kinds in various languages. With Lecture 2, the noun is looked at, to the formal differentiation of nouns according to the sex of the referent,to other types of gender-motivated opposition (e.g., Lat. animus vs anima), and to the relations between neuters and masculines/feminines. Lectures 3 and 4 address the relation between declension and grammatical gender, both in nouns denoting animate beings (including communia and epicoena) and in other nouns (including the example of Lat. dies). This chapter concludes (Lecture 5) with three further discussions: of theories concerning the origin of gender in names for inanimate objects; of the phenomenon of change of gender, with special reference to the gender of loanwords; and of gender-marking on adjectives.

The presentation of earlier theories of grammatical gender opens with detailed discussion of a famous scene from Aristophanes' Clouds. The presentation of the linguistic facts begins with the question of the marking of gender on (and by means of) pronouns of different kinds in various languages. With Lecture 2, the noun is looked at, to the formal differentiation of nouns according to the sex of the referent, to other types of gender-motivated opposition (e.g.,Lat. animus vs anima), and to the relations between neuters and masculines/feminines. Lectures 3 and 4 address the relation between declension and grammatical gender, both in nouns denoting animate beings (including communia and epicoena) and in other nouns (including the example of Lat. dies). This chapter concludes (Lecture 5) with three further discussions: of theories concerning the origin of gender in names for inanimate objects; of the phenomenon of change of gender, with special reference to the gender of loanwords; and of gender-marking on adjectives.

The neuter s-stem nouns constitute one of the best established word formation categories in the Indo-European languages and it is certain that they are deep-rooted in the parent language itself. The Proto-Indo-European background of these nouns is briefly assessed in this chapter, giving due regard to problems concerning their inflection and derivation. The conditions under which new s-stem neuter nouns could be formed will then be determined. In keeping with the aim of his book of looking at morphologically and semantically closely defined classes of words in the context of the language system as a whole, the most important suffixes competing with the formations in -εσ/-οζ are examined here.

Greek possesses a very small number of non-neuter s-stem nouns. Among these words, feminine nouns are rarer than masculine ones. Yet, the type, though weak, seems to be inherited from the parent language as witnessed by a (possibly imperfect) equation. In Latin, this inflectional paradigm was reasonably successful (compare with the numerous nouns in -ōs and -or like honōs/honor ‘honour’, flōs ‘flower’), but both Greek and Sanskrit show mere relics of this group.

This chapter explores Maurice Blanchot's complex treatment of the question of the possibility and impossibility of death and dying in a number of key texts. In particular, it offers a sustained reading of Blanchot's 1948 novel Le Très-Haut, which it shows to be a philosophically grounded political novel about politics, one that engages with urgent contemporary questions about the law and the legitimacy of the post-war French State, and demonstrates the constitutive limits of the political sphere. Against this backdrop, it considers Blanchot's account of the neuter in the texts of Kafka, before going on to examine the complex dialogue taking place between fictional writing and the philosophy of Nietzsche and Heidegger in Blanchot's 1957 story Le Dernier Homme. In conclusion, it emphasises the irreducibility of literary writing to philosophical perspectives in the work of Blanchot.

This chapter explores Liberace’s ability to attract audiences through a clever and spectacular masculinity that distracted them from his sexuality. Tracing his evolution into an international performer, it outlines his ability to create musical and visual spectacles and to carefully manage his image. As he became a multimedia celebrity, critics and tabloids maligned his queer masculinity. Through self-neutering and counterdomesticating, he reframed himself as an exemplar of normalcy. These tools helped him triumph through during a 1959 libel suit that threatened to expose his sexuality. He then spectacularized his image exhibiting an unmarked transvestism that endeared him even more. During his final years, when a former lover attempted to expose him and he was dying of HIV/AIDS, he maintained a conspiracy of blindness with his audience.

This chapter argues that the Queering Toolkit remains relevant for understanding contemporary performers and describes the emergence of new tools. The chapter briefly explores enfreakment and spectacle in the careers of Michael Jackson and Prince and the intentional self-neutering and domestication of Clay Aiken. It also examines the straight-queer gestures of Justin Timberlake’s career. Queer aspects of musical performers’ public personae remain legible to contemporary audiences. Even with the rise of LGBTQ politics and greater acceptance of sexual and gender diversity, elements of shame and ambivalence color the experiences of queer people. Queerness remains a process of becoming. The chapter suggests how the toolkit could affect readings of female-identified and nonbinary performers, as well as other genres such as jazz, in the future.

A substantial chapter looking at the thinking behind Blanchot’s literary and philosophical writing of the 1960s. It focuses on notions such as the fragment and the neuter, as they inform a variety of his political and critical activities, not to mention works such as Friendship and The Infinite Conversation.

The tool participates in the locality of the object without belonging to that locality in the organic or genetic sense of belonging. It produces an intimate relation with its object that arises both from the tool's figurative or prosthetic proximity to the object and its temporal and cultural distance from it. Intimacy of this kind is neither wholly proximate nor wholly distant, neither partisan nor impartial in an absolute sense. The intimacy born of the tool is, quite literally, neuter: ne-uter, neither this nor that. The encyclopedic instrumentality of the neuter is impressively conveyed in lectures given by Roland Barthes on the topic at the Collège de France in 1977–78, which were published in 2002, though it must be said that the lectures also constitute an embarrassment of riches — playful testimony, as it were, to the neuter's extravagant history.

Some Ibero-Romance dialects show neuter agreement with uncountable nouns. According to data recently compiled in dialect corpora, mass neuter agreement varies according to word classes, being most frequent in pronouns and moderate in adjectives. Pronouns, both overt and null, regularly give rise to mass neuter agreement. Both the syntactic position of the predicate (attributive or predicative) and the predicate type (individual-level [IL] or stage-level [SL] predicate) play a role in triggering mass neuter agreement. Mass neuter agreement is strongly associated with SL predicates, and it proposed that it’s an extension of the so-called Romance neuter, or agreement with nonlexical antecedents, for it implies the syntactical cancellation of gender and number. The origins of neuter morphology should be thus found in the demonstrative neuter pronouns, from which it gradually extends in steps regulated by the syntactic distance between mass antecedents and the agreeing predicates.

Human control of animal reproduction ties the subjects of this book together in yet another way. Given past and ongoing human injustices against animals, humans who wish to care for animals incapable of living free face difficult choices.