It is not true that English is without gender. It is simply that every object (thing) is neuter. That is an accident of history having mostly to do with the fact that French was the official language in 'England' for almost three hundred years following the conquest by William of Normandy. Because of this interuption in the natural development of the language, gender became uncertain and was replaced with a general, 'neutral' form. There were many other changes as well, but that is the most dramatic difference between English and all the other European languages. It is much simpler than the others on this point, but is does remain a very complex and difficult to learn tongue.
Germanic Gender und La Lengua de Amor: click here to read the entire thread »