masculinepersonal

Masculinepersonal is a term used in linguistic descriptions to refer to a subdivision of masculine gender that is sensitive to the referent’s humanness and animacy in plural agreement. The label highlights that, in some languages, plural forms of masculine nouns or adjectives can vary depending on whether the referent is a person or other non-human.

Usage and distribution: The concept is most often discussed in the context of Balkan and Slavic language grammars. In these descriptions, a separate masculine plural, sometimes called masculine personal, is employed when the referent is human or animate, while a different masculine plural may be used for non-personal or inanimate referents. The exact boundaries of the distinction vary by language and by author.

Function and agreement: When present, the masculinepersonal distinction can affect agreement patterns in adjectives, determiners, and sometimes verbs in the plural. This means that the form used with human referents may differ from the form used with non-human referents, even though both are masculine in singular or plural contexts.

Terminology and debate: The status of masculinepersonal is not universally adopted across grammars. Some linguists describe the phenomenon using broader terms such as animacy- or person-based agreement, while others treat it as a legitimate subcategory of masculine gender in specific languages. The term itself can reflect differing theoretical frameworks, and its applicability is language-specific.

See also: Gender (linguistics); Animacy; Balkan languages; Slavic languages; Romanian grammar; Bulgarian grammar.