Canonical, complex, complicated?

Investigating the complexity of grammatical gender begins with the question: What
are the dimensions of variation? This question is addressed by Canonical Typology,
which provides us with a cross-linguistic road map of gender systems (Corbett &
Fedden 2016). Compass and measuring rod are the principles of canonicity, which
organise the theoretical space around a canonical centre and then situate real gen-
der systems in this space. In this chapter I compare and contrast the principles
of canonicity with those of complexity, and discuss both of them in relation to
difficulty. While canonicity, complexity, and difficulty are related notions, it will
be argued that they are not identical: individual phenomena can be complex but
canonical, or complex but not difficult. The aim of the chapter is to tease apart
issues of methodology, description, and theory in order to arrive at a clearer un-
derstanding of the complexity of gender.