Nominal gender system
Grammatical gender refers to a nominal classification system that can be identified by agreement displayed on other word classes. Gender-based agreement may appear on verbs, adjectives, determiners, numerals, or focus particles. In some languages, gender is marked on only anaphoric pronouns. To determine the existence of a gender system, nouns referring to inanimate objects should be examined, rather than nouns referring to animate entities of the male or female sex, since the classification of the latter is often determined by actual sex, rather than by formal criteria such as morphological structure, although it is also possible for morphological structure to be determining factor, regardless of biological sex.
Languages assign gender based on one of the three following principles: semantic, formal, and idiosyncratic.
Classification based exclusively on meaning is found in few languages, but a language may have such a limited number of exceptions to this rule that its gender system can be classified as overwhelmingly semantically based. Semantically based classification has three variants: (1) Nouns are primarily classified on the basis of biological sex (or lack thereof). Languages whose gender system belongs to this type differ in the degree to which they use meaning as a basis for gender and where they draw the line between entities whose gender is based on biological sex and those whose is not. Furthermore, gender classification may be determined based on social, rather than biological, categories. (2) Nouns are classified on the basis of an existing animacy hierarchy. (3) Classification of nouns into gender is determined by a different, more complex, semantically based system. Languages of this third type are the least common among meaning-based gender systems.
Classification based on formal criteria occurs with respect to morphological and phonological differences. Since no language has been found to make gender distinctions exclusively on formal criteria, this category can be more accurately described as being overwhelmingly formally based.
In languages with an idiosyncratic gender system, the classification of nouns into genders is not based on a transparent, regular system; instead, each noun is individually classified. This can also be termed a lexically based system.
(Inasmuch as the considerations discussed in the above points apply to a given language, they should be described in the commentary section of that language.)
Types:
NoGns: The language does not have the category of grammatical gender.
NatGns: Nouns referring to animate (or human) entities are classified into grammatical genders primarily on the basis of biological sex. Nouns referring to inanimate (or non-human) entities are assigned to a different gender.
AnimGns: Nouns are classified into grammatical genders primarily on the basis of an existing animacy hierarchy.
FormGns: Nouns are classified into grammatical genders primarily on the basis of formal (structural) criteria.
IdioGns: Nouns are classified into grammatical genders on the basis of an idiosyncratic system.