Gênero e classificadores nominais: congruências e contrastes entre o português brasileiro e o iorubá

Abstract

This study investigates the mechanisms of gender marking and nominal classification in Brazilian Portuguese and Yoruba in Brazil. The main objectives of this study are to compare the morphosyntactic structures of both languages and to understand the sociocultural influences that emerge from the interrelation of both languages, especially in Afro-Brazilian religious contexts. The research inquiries center on the functioning of gender traits and nominal classifiers in each language, the similarities and differences between the systems, and the impact of language contact on these processes. The findings reveal significant disparities in gender marking, inflection, plural formation, and resemblances in morphosyntactic structure. Furthermore, the analyses emphasize the significance of semantic context in the Yoruba classification system and the rigidity of gender marking in BP. This interdisciplinary approach contributes to broader discussions on language use, contact, variation, change, nominal classification, linguistic structure, and typology by unraveling the intricate details of gender characteristics in lexical items of African origin introduced and adapted into the Brazilian vernacular.
Keywords: Brazilian Portuguese. Yoruba. Comparative analysis. Gender features. Nominal classifiers.