Re: How old is the machismo in Romance languages

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, mkapovic@... wrote:

> Hmm, but I just thought of a thing that could be indeed sexist in

nature.

> It concerns nouns in -ica which are declined as fem. but can agree

with

> masc. adj. and verbs. Thus we have izbjeglica "refugee",

poglavica "chief

> (of the tribe)" which can agree only with masc. (ovaj izbjeglica, ovaj
> poglavica), but kukavica "coward" and izdajica "traitor" can agree

with

> both masc. and fem. (ovaj/ova kukavica, ovaj/ova izdajica). That

could be

> because the latter examples are derogatory although I do not feel any
> difference in saying those with masc. or fem. agreement.(I usually use
> only the fem. agreement as a rule).
>

The *a:-stem (forming almost exclusively feminines) has a clearly
derogative function in both Russian and Lithuanian. I mean examples
like ('common' gender) Russ. <rast'ápa>, Lith. <vé:pla> 'butter-
fingers, softy, goof-up' etc etc.

Sergei