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Abstract :
[en] In Luxembourgish and Moselle Franconian, as well as in various other German, Swiss German and Dutch dialects, it is possible to assign the feminine and neuter genders to female individuals. The neuter gender of female first names is strongly grammaticalized in both Luxembourgish and Moselle Franconian, so that they mostly trigger the neuter gender on their targets (e.g. definite articles, personal pronouns). At the same time, the use of the neuter gender is not limited to the use of female first names. Rather, personal pronouns can also be used in reference to female appellatives, female kinship terms, and combinations of a female first name with a last name. Moreover, gender assignment is determined by socio-pragmatic factors (e.g. age, familiarity) and shows a high degree of variation in some reference contexts. The aim of the present study is to provide a first major empirical and comprehensive presentation of this phenomenon in both varieties, taking into account different socio-pragmatic factors and various reference contexts. The results are based on quantitative elicited data retrieved from an online survey and audio recordings collected by means of the Luxembourgish language app Schnëssen, as well as qualitative data from structured interviews involving different descriptive tasks. The collection of the data was undertaken at different localities in the area under investigation. While it was found that the use of neuter in Moselle Franconian is more closely tied to the personal relationship between the speaker and the referent, it is partly possible in Luxembourgish to refer to female public figures using neuter forms. Additionally, an apparent-time analysis for Luxembourgish makes it possible to identify differences between the different age groups of the speakers. It becomes apparent that there is a tendency for younger speakers to prefer neutral gender assignment in variable reference contexts. This also applies to exophoric reference contexts to female individuals without a given reference noun, in which neuter seems to become prevalent as a sort of default gender.
