Situaciones ambiguas del género gramatical en latín tardío

Abstract

In this paper a varied sample is presented of ambiguous situations which have been observed in late Latin. They all share the difficulty of elucidating whether they are due to ignorance of how grammatical gender really functions, or are merely copyists' spelling errors. The paper reviews the confusion of -ae/-e/-i endings, especially in relatives; the case of arbus (instead of arbos) in St. Isidore; the «-m falso adiecta»; the lack of gender distinction in pronominal forms; the graphic confusion of -u/-a in Visigothic writing; and, lastly, the gender inaccuracies in the Latin versions of Greek works. In all the examples examined grammatical gender appears to be weakened and obscured, and this undoubtedly has also contributed to its progressive degrammaticalization.