Re: Epicene words

On Feb 26, 2005, at 5:36 PM, caeruleancentaur wrote:
> --- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Ray Brown <ray.brown@F...> wrote:
>> You thought quite correctly. It is what is often called _epicene_ -
>> where sex is important it follows the natural sex/gender of the
>> canine in question. If you couldn't care less whether the critter's
>> a dog or a bitch, then the default gender is masculine.
> A number of names for animals are epicene in English.  To specify sex
> pairs such as cow/bull, buck/doe, stallion/mare are used.  The
> word "dog" is different in that there is a special word for the
> female of the species (bitch), but not for the male who is called
> simply "dog."  I'm wondering if there is a name for this particular
> phenomenon.  If not, I suggest the term "semi-epicene"!
And "cow" is the opposite - commonly used as the epicene term for
_cow/bull_, but also only the female.

> Perhaps others in the list would share with us some of their animal
> names, how they derived them and how they distinguish when the name
> is epicene.
> Charlie
Well, in Rokbeigalmki almost all nouns are automatically epicene/common
gender, and you need to add a prefix to specify the sex:

mald = human
i-mald = woman
o-mald = man

slyihthl = snake
i-slyihthl = female snake
o-slyihthl = male snake

datãv = healer
i-datãv = female healer
o-datãv = male healer

However, somehow it's possible to tell from a person's name whether
they're male or female.  I haven't figured out how that works yet,
though.  I just know that it does.


-Stephen (Steg)
  "...i have breathed war, breathed blood;
   and spilled blood not my own..."
      ~ _elikuh-kadme nga'fiizhagt-a, ya'stíígiyus
        (preceding the time of battle, by stygius)

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