Romance Neuter Nouns (was: Lat. -idus)

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex" <alxmoeller@...> wrote:

> Piotr Gasiorowski wrote:
> >
> > That's true. Latin doesn't show <-idus-> next to neuters in <-us,
> > -eris>, but it has them regularly (with only sporadic

exceptions) in

> > *-es- stems that developed into <-or, -o:ris> abstract

masculines.

>
> which eventually developed back in neutra in Romance (upss... I

shouldn't

> use "neutra" within Romance, would I ?:-))

Indeed, it would be far better to say "neuter" :)

Actually, it is not unreasonable to use "neuter" when discussing
Eastern Romance - I think it can reasonably be said that Italian
words like _uovo_ (singular, masculine), _uova_ (plural,
feminine) 'egg' are neuter rather than of mixed gender. I'm sure
I've seen references to Sicilian neuter nouns in -u in learned
journals, though unfortunately I know nothing of these nouns'
inflection and gender concord.

Richard.