The Gender of Paired Body Parts in Semitic

The study investigates the gender assignment of nouns denoting paired body parts in Semitic languages. While earlier theories suggested a systematic assignment of feminine gender to paired body parts, the evidence demonstrates significant inconsistencies. Across various Semitic branches, nouns for paired body parts often fluctuate in gender, with some being masculine, feminine, or both depending on context and language. This variation undermines claims that gender assignment for these nouns is referential or semantically driven. Instead, the distribution appears random and reflects broader patterns of arbitrary gender assignment in Semitic grammar. The findings challenge hypotheses that link feminine gender to dual morphology or innate features of paired body parts and instead support the view that gender assignment in inanimate nouns is non-referential and determined by historical and morphological factors.