Scope and gender in Hebrew generic second person.

Generic second person may be partially or totally generic. In Hebrew, a highly gendered language, the scope of masculine and feminine generic 2 SG may be either total or limited to the given gender. The borders between personal, limited generic and total generic use are often fuzzy. I discuss these complex interrelations between scope, gender and interchangeability of generic and personal 2 SG in a corpus of journalistic interviews, focusing on issues such as simulated interlocutor, inner dialogue, shifted viewpoint, and dramatic simulation. Opaque switch points from personal to generic are found to characterize typical environments, including after directives or questions. Gender switch reflects viewpoint shifts. Scope ambiguity and interchangeability, even within a single utterance, enhance the pragmatic effect of generic 2 SG. • Generic 2 SG may be partially or totally gender-generic in scope. [63]. • The border between personal and generic 2 SG is often fuzzy in both genders. [75]. • Simulated interlocutor, inner dialogue, and shifted viewpoint all show scope opacity. [85]. • In personalized uses 2 SG.GEN alternates with 1 SG , often in mid-sentence. [72]. • Inherent scope ambiguity enhances pragmatic effects of 2 SG.GEN. [62]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]